Conn. man found incompetent to stand trial for murder in 1992 is arrested again
By APWednesday, July 28, 2010
Conn. man found incompetent in ‘92 is held again
WATERBURY, Conn. — A 76-year-old Connecticut man has been arrested after authorities discovered he was released from a mental hospital in 1992 after being found incompetent to stand trial for a 1991 murder.
Prosecutors say they should have been notified 18 years ago when Pedro Custodio was released from a state hospital in Newtown. Authorities had expected Custodio to be committed to the hospital for much longer.
A judge had asked about the status of the case this month because it had been open for almost two decades. Custodio was arrested Monday and ordered held on $200,000 bail during a court appearance Tuesday.
Custodio’s sister tells the Republican-American newspaper that the state approved his release from the hospital. She says his arrest this week amounts to a death sentence.
Information from: Republican-American, www.rep-am.com
