The man accused of the cold-blooded murder of Harris County Deputy Sheriff Darren Goforth has been found to be mentally competent to stand trial for his alleged crime.
The move comes just over seven months after he was determined to temporarily incompetent to understand the charges that he murdered Deputy Goforth. He has spent the interim in a mental health facility in North Texas where he received medical treatment.
The doctors at that hospital have now determined he is once again competent to stand trial. He will be transported back to the custody of the Harris County Sheriff’s Department where face justice.
Deputy Darren Goforth was murdered in cold blood just over one year ago, Breitbart Texas reported. He was approached from behind as he walked out of a convenience store in northwest Harris County to refuel his patrol car. He was in uniform at the time of the attack.
Reports at the time indicate that Goforth was shot multiple times in the back of the head and in the back. Sheriff Ron Hickman told Breitbart Texas last week that Miles said nothing to the deputy before he started shooting.
The formal charge (placed below) states that:
SHANNON J. MILES, hereinafter styled the Defendant, heretofore on or about August 28, 2015, did then and there unlawfully, intentionally, and knowingly cause the death of D. GOFORTH, hereafter styled the Complainant, a PEACE OFFICER in the lawful discharge of an official duty, by SHOOTING THE COMPLAINANT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON NAMELY A FIREARM, knowing at the time that the Complainant was a PEACE OFFICER.
The shooting occurred weeks after protests in Waller County over the suicide of Sandra Bland. During those protests, Black Lives Matter activists and armed members of the New Black Panther Party called for killing white people and police officers.
“This rhetoric has gotten out of control,” Sheriff Ron Hickman said during a press conference attended by Breitbart Texas following the assassination of Deputy Goforth. Hickman’s comments came in response to the rise in violence directed towards police officers simply because they wear the uniform and badge.
“We’ve heard ‘black lives matter,’ ‘all lives matter,’ well cops’ lives matter too,” said the leader of the third largest sheriff’s office in the country.
The visibly emotional Hickman continued, “Why don’t we just drop the qualifier and say ‘lives matter.’ Take that to the bank.”
Miles’ attorneys said this week that they will meet with their client to perform their own determination as to his fitness to stand trial.
“It is important for us to communicate with our client, and we’ll get a good understanding over the next few weeks, if he’s competent. If we disagree we’ll certainly make that point known to the court,” Attorney Anthony Osso told KTRK on Wednesday.
Deputy Goforth was murdered on August 28, 2015. Following his murder, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered all flags to be flow at half-staff in his honor.
“Texas has sustained a deliberate and heinous crime against a law enforcement officer in Harris County,” Governor Abbott said in a letter to Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. “Texans revere the men and women in law enforcement who put their lives on the line every day to protect and service their communities. As such, it is fitting that Texas flags should be lowered to half-staff in memory of this dedicated and brave deputy sheriff.”
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and associate judge in Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2.
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