Psychological evaluation finds Jorge Barahona competent to stand trial for adopted daughter's murder after psychological exams
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify the defendant's competency.
MIAMI - A South Florida man accused of killing his adopted 10-year-old daughter in 2011 has been found competent to stand trial by a psychological evaluation.
In March, Jorge Barahona was found incompetent by Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Andrea Wolfson.
A status hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 17 at 9 a.m. as parties work to schedule a competency hearing for Barahona, 57, for a decision by the judge.
Jorge and Carmen Barahona are accused of torturing Nubia and her twin brother Victor for months before her death.
Nubia Barahona's body was found partially decomposed in the back of her father's truck along Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County on Valentine's Day 2011. In the front seat, Victor was found suffering seizures from chemical burns.
His wife, Carmen, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges in 2020 and is expected to testify against Barahona. She would have received a life sentence it she had testified. He is facing the death penalty if convicted.
Nubia and Victor were adopted by the Barahonas in 2009 after living in their home since 2004. The kids, authorities discovered, had endured starvation, beatings, medical neglect and they had been tied and forced to stay in a bathtub.
The state's Department of Children and Families came under fire during the course of the police investigation into Nubia's death for failing to piece together warning signs from medical professionals and school officials that something was wrong in the Barahona home. The agency blamed it on a system-wide failure, including poor judgment by child protective investigators, overwhelming caseloads, and missed opportunities at every turn.