BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—Maxwell Anatra, 24, made his first appearance in the Crawford County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday afternoon for a pretrial hearing related to the fatal stabbings of his parents, Matthew and Lisa Anatra, which occurred on November 18.
Anatra faces eleven felony charges, including two counts of aggravated murder.
During the off-the-record hearing, Crawford County Prosecutor Matt Crall, Assistant Prosecutor Dan Stanley, and Anatra’s attorney, James Mayer III , conferred with visiting Judge Daniel T. Hogan to discuss the progression of the case.
In a significant move, defense attorney James Mayer requested a District V competency evaluation for Anatra to determine whether he is fit to stand trial.
This request has temporarily paused the speedy trial timeline. The competency evaluation process, which can take several weeks, is now the next step in the proceedings.
It is expected to take approximately 4 to 6 weeks to set an appointment for the evaluation. Since Covid restrictions, evaluations are conducted virtually.
Once the evaluation is complete, a subsequent hearing will be scheduled to discuss the evaluation findings and future steps in the case.
Due to the anticipated length of this process, the originally scheduled trial date in February has been canceled.
A new trial date will only be set if Anatra is deemed competent to proceed.
In Ohio, competency evaluations assess an individual’s ability to consult with their attorney and their understanding of the legal proceedings against them.
Crawford County Now will continue to cover this developing news story.