Mistrial Declared In Alex Ewing Trial For Patricia Smith Murder In 1984
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - A judge in Jefferson County has declared a mistrial for the man accused of killing a woman nearly 40 years ago. The judge granted a defense motion for a competency evaluation for Alex Ewing after a jury had been seated.
Ewing is on trial for the murder of Patricia Smith of Lakewood. She was murdered with a hammer in January 1984. In that homicide, DNA evidence was found matching Ewing.
In August, a judge sentenced Ewing to three life sentences after he was found guilty in the 1984 murders of three people in Aurora. The jury found Ewing guilty on Aug. 6 of killing three members of the Bennett family with a hammer on Jan. 15, 1984.
The evaluation will happen at the Jefferson County Jail in an effort to speed up the process.