Double homicide suspect mentally unfit for trial
The suspect in the case of the murder of two Klamath Tribes descendants will not go forward as planned as the 20-year-old accused has been deemed unfit for trial by a psychiatrist for the state.
On Oct. 8, the judge in the case, Alyssa Bartholomew, ruled that Elijah Croy is unfit to stand trial after his attorney filed a motion stating the defendant was unfit to proceed and ordered the transport of the defendant to the state hospital.
Croy was facing charges of murder in the first degree for the shooting death of sisters Aleeka Qualls age 19 and Zion Qualls, age 14. Croy was also facing attempted murder when his gun failed to shoot the girl’s father, Tashka Qualls, on June 29when the father discovered Croy in his daughter’s bedroom. Croy was also charged with three counts of unlawful use of a firearm.
The suspect is alleged to have ordered parts for a Glock-style handgun online and assembled the weapon himself. Initially, the weapon jammed when he fired at the father but operated successfully when aimed at the two sisters.
Klamath Falls Police were called to the home just before 8 a.m. on June 29 when they heard gunshots. Croy was arrested “within a few feet of the two homicide victims,” a Klamath Falls Police Department officer wrote in a probable-cause statement filed in court.
The Klamath Tribes said in a statement that they are in “deep mourning” after the shocking double homicide of the two girls, saying they were descendants of the tribe and pledged to obtain justice for the slain girls, saying, “The Klamath Tribes has continued to experience an unprecedented amount of violent crime, and many of these crimes do not appear to be properly investigated, prosecuted, and addressed. This most recent murder must be immediately and fully investigated, holding any criminals accountable for their crimes.”
The suspect was examined and diagnosed as mentally unfit for trial by Dr. Alexander Duncan on Oct. 4 and will be committed to the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Ore., for at least one year. The hospital then has the authority to determine if the man remains unfit for trial and must notify the court 30 days before his commitment ends of his condition.
According to the district attorney, Croy was transported to the hospital by the Klamath County Sheriff and will face the charges against him at the end of his commitment.
Klamath County District Attorney David Schutt said in an emailed statement to the Klamath Tribes News that “Mr. Croy has been committed to the Oregon State Hospital due to a finding he cannot, at present, aid and assist in his defense.” He further stated, “If he is deemed fit to proceed at any time during the next year, he will be returned to the Klamath County Jail, and the case will then proceed towards trial.”
