Trumbull County judge to decide if Warren man charged with murder is incompetent
A Trumbull County judge is considering whether to declare a Warren man charged with aggravated murder and aggravated arson, “incompetent and unrestorable.”
In a criminal case hearing Tuesday, April 15, Judge Ronald J. Rice said he will have a decision in “a few days” on the status of Carroll L. Bruton Jr., 73.
Officials said Bruton has been incarcerated at Heartland Behavioral Health Center in Massillon after two medical experts have declared him incompetent to face criminal charges in a 2024 fatal fire in Warren Township.
If Judge Rice makes his declaration, Bruton could be kept at the mental health facility without a trial and his status would be subject to periodic judicial review, according to Ohio law.
Bruton is charged in connection to the deaths of Roscoe Toles, 82, and Etiane Whitaker, 51, in the January 2024 fire at a Miller Street home. According to reports, Bruton used charcoal lighter fluid and a lighter to ignite a pillow and blankets under basement steps. The fire destroyed the Warren Township home.
“As the experts have both opined, he (Bruton) is still a risk to society and to himself, and that Heartland would be the best place for him to remain,” said Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Chuck Morrow.
“He made admissions about starting the fire based on a delusion that he had. I think that it is clear that the delusion involved a 10-year-old girl, who was a figment of his imagination, and that he was her protector,” Morrow said.
Prosecutors say Bruton has been suffering from a multitude of mental illnesses.
“His family did everything they could, your honor, to get him the necessary mental health treatment that he needed, and unfortunately, he was released, and we ended up having this unfortunate incident happen,” Morrow told the judge.
Judge Rice commented on the state of mental health care in the U.S.
“It’s unfortunate that the state of mental health care in our county is where it is that people like Mr. Bruton fall through the cracks, and there’s not appropriate care for him,” Judge Rice said.