Woman accused of murdering toddler deemed competent by Department of Mental Health
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Jefferson City woman accused of murdering a toddler in 2018 and abandoning the corpse has been deemed competent to stand trial by the Department of Mental Health.
Quatavia Givens, 32, was charged with first-degree murder, child abuse, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and abandoning a corpse in relation to the death of 4-year-old Darnell Gray in 2018. She is listed on the Cole County Jail online roster.
Givens was admitted to Fulton State Hospital on June 18, court records indicate. Givens was previously deemed incompetent to stand trial on Aug. 14, 2023.
She was deemed competent by the DMH in a Monday order. The defense filed an objection to the order on Tuesday, according to court filings. Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson said it will be up to the judge to issue an order to determine if she can stand trial.
A case review is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 6.
