A judge has ruled that the hatchet-wielding white supremacist who attacked a Chinese teenager is not competent to stand trial.
Nashville resident Dana Ericson has spent the last two months locked in solitary confinement after he struck 18-year old Yue Zhang twice in the back with a hatchet. Ericson admitted to police that he had only assaulted Zhang because she is Asian. He further claimed he was attempting “ethnic cleansing” and called himself a white supremacist.
Zhang, an exchange student at Brown County High School, was taking pictures for a class in downtown Nashville on February 18th. Unprovoked, Ericson rushed across the street to attack her. She was later treated at the hospital for a 2-inch deep laceration near her spine before being released to her host family. It is believed that had she not been wearing such a thick coat, her spinal column could have been severed in the attack.
Ericson, who has a long history of psychological issues, is facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery, and battery causing serious injury. He made frequent and nonsensical outbursts during his appearances at the Brown County Circuit Court, following the attack.
“I don’t believe in your law. Your laws are a bunch of crap.” Ericson shouted at Judge Judith Stewart, at his first court hearing.
Judge Stewart responded by ordering Ericson to undergo a psychiatric competency evaluation. She also appointed him a public defender, despite Ericson protesting that he did not require one.
Two doctors, Dr. George Parker and Dr. Don Olive, both evaluated Ericson and determined that he is currently not competent to stand trial. Olive said the probability of Ericson regaining competency is high after he undergoes three to six months of treatment.
Ericson testified that solitary confinement had worsened his mental state, saying jail staffers were projecting thoughts into his mind.
“I have a hard time thinking clearly,” Ericson told the court. “I am a sick man.”
Judge Stewart ordered Ericson to serve 90 days at the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction, in an attempt to restore his competency so he can stand trial for his crimes.
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis FBI field office announced it would investigate this as a possible civil rights violation, since Indiana is one of only five states across the nation without hate crime laws. This means that the maximum sentence Ericson would receive for attempted murder in Indiana would be 40 years.
If the FBI’s investigation is able to prove a hate crime component to the attempted murder charge, Ericson could be charged in federal court and his sentence increased to life in prison. Fingers crossed that they don’t manage to screw up the investigation somehow because this guy clearly needs to stay locked up.
