VIRGINIA BEACH (WAVY) – Eric Brown, the man accused of killing 19-year-old Ashanti Billie after abducting her from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in 2017, won’t stand trial.
U.S. District Court Judge Raymond Jackson ruled Tuesday that Brown can’t be restored to competency with medication. Brown was diagnosed with schizophrenia in December 2017 and he had taken drugs while in custody to relieve his symptoms, but they didn’t fully restore competency.
A judge had previously ordered in December 2019 that Brown couldn’t be forcibly medicated.
The prosecution is expected to now seek a civil commitment in the case to have Brown placed in a facility.
Brown originally faced capital punishment on a federal kidnapping resulting in death charge in the case, but U.S. Attorney General William Barr directed prosecutors in 2019 not to seek the death penalty.
Billie’s death eventually led to the creation of the federal Ashanti Alert program to help find critically missing adults, which is in the process of being implemented.
WAVY’s Tamara Scott will have more on this breaking story coming on WAVY News 10 at 4.
Previous coverage:
- Further mental evaluation ordered for Billie murder suspect
- Ashanti Billie’s accused kidnapper remains incompetent to stand trial
- Report: Ashanti Billie’s accused killer responding to treatment
- Prosecutors motion to have Billie murder suspect involuntarily medicated
- Man charged in Ashanti Billie’s murder to undergo mental evaluation
- Ashanti Billie kidnapping suspect diagnosed with schizophrenia
