Pennsylvania man accused of beheading, dismembering father found not competent for trial
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Lancaster County man accused of beheading and dismembering his father was found not competent to stand trial, a judge ruled on Monday.
Donald Meshey Jr. was accused of killing his father, Donald Meshey Sr., in August 2021.
According to a news release from the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office, Meshey will be transferred to Norristown State Hospital, Torrance State Hospital or any other facility approved for mental health treatment. The news release said that Lancaster County Judge Dennis Reinaker based the order after reviewing reports on the case and reports from a forensic psychiatrist who interviewed Meshey.
Assistant district attorneys Mark Fetterman and CJ Restemayer did not oppose the judge's recommendation for treatment during Meshey's court appearance on Monday, according to the DA's news release.
Meshey was arrested on Aug. 11, 2021, after police responded to a home on West Strawberry Street in Lancaster for a welfare check. At the home, police reportedly talked to Meshey, who said that there was a cadaver in a bed and a human head in the freezer.
In interviews with police, according to the news release, Meshey said he saw a "cadaver doll" in his dad's bedroom, which looked and sounded like his father. Meshey then told police he stabbed the "cadaver doll" for two to three minutes with a knife before dismembering the body.
The district attorney's office said Meshey will be "reevaluated in no more than 90 days and every 90 days after to determine his competency to stand trial."
"A defendant must be able to participate in their own defense and understand the nature of the proceedings against them in order to stand trial," the DA's office said in the release.
