Charges dropped for second time against Tacoma man accused of killing mother. Here’s why
The case against a Tacoma man accused of murdering his mother in their home and trying to shoot his brother to death has been dismissed for a second time because the defendant was found mentally incompetent to stand trial.
Francis Lawson Hamilton IV, 32, was arrested and originally charged in April 2019 with first-degree murder, attempted murder and burglary. According to court records, he shot his mother multiple times April 29 of that year before chasing his brother out of an upstairs window and down the street in an attempt to shoot him, too.
Hamilton followed his brother in his mother’s Cadillac SUV. A neighbor heard gunshots and a man calling for help as he ran down the street, and he called 911 after a brief interaction with Hamilton. Officers pulled over the SUV while it was driving with its lights off and found Hamilton inside, allegedly wearing a bandolier full of shotgun shells with a machete strapped to him.
The defendant was previously civilly committed to Western State Hospital when his charges were first dismissed in July 2020, following three periods of inpatient treatment that failed to restore his mental competency.
Charges were refiled Sept. 11, 2023 after prosecutors found a good faith basis that treatment had restored his competency to stand trial. But his mental health deteriorated upon return to Pierce County Jail, and Hamilton was readmitted Oct. 27 to Western State Hospital. He did not participate in subsequent psychological evaluations, but he reportedly continued to present with symptoms of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, coupled with impaired insight and judgment. He also showed signs of delusions.
Pierce County Superior Court Judge Grant Blinn dismissed the defendant’s charges April 24 because Hamilton lacked the capacity to understand the nature of the proceedings against him or assist in his own defense due to a mental disease or defect, records state.
Blinn dismissed the charges without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could refile again if Hamilton is found competent at a later date.
At least seven psychologists through both charging cycles have previously found that Hamilton met diagnostic criteria for unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder. He was ordered to undergo a civil commitment evaluation to be committed to a state psychiatric hospital operated by the Department of Social and Health Services.
Psychologists who evaluated his mental health reported that throughout his periods of treatment and civil commitment, Hamilton was often nonverbal and would often not respond to evaluators’ questions with words or gestures. He reportedly experienced ongoing derogatory, auditory hallucinations.
Hamilton had a significant history of mental illness that dated back to at least 2004, according to a forensic psychological evaluation conducted in July 2020. That was his first known contact with community mental health in the state.
His grandmother previously reported that Hamilton experienced a decline in functioning when he was in college around the age of 20, at which point he became socially withdrawn. According to court records, it was around that time, in 2012, that Hamilton shot an intruder in his home. He was not charged with a crime. A family member reported that Hamilton began to decline emotionally after this event and became a recluse who stayed in his room and played video games all day.
