Judge to review mental health of accused Oakdale killer
A Washington County judge today will review the mental health status of accused murderer Nhan Lap Tran. The hearing will be held to determine if Tran is competent to stand trial for the murder of nine-year-old Devin Aryal.
Police say in February, Tran stood on an Oakdale street corner and fired several shots. One killed Aryal as he sat in a nearby vehicle. The boy's mother was also wounded.
For the last several months, Tran has been receiving treatment at the state hospital in St. Peter after he was found not competent to stand trial earlier this year. Members of Tran's family have said Tran has long suffered from delusions that people were after him.
Officials with the Oakdale police department say one month before the shooting, Tran asked an officer if he could shoot the people who were following him. They say the officer told Tran, "no," but that there was not sufficient cause to arrest or detain him.
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