Darriynn Brown, the man accused of kidnapping and murdering 4-year-old Cash Gernon, has been declared competent to stand trial after undergoing another mental health evaluation.
A Dallas judge approved the new “competency restoration” last week, marking a significant step in a case that has haunted Dallas since the boy’s murder in 2021.
Brown, previously deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial, spent several months in an outpatient competency program. Court documents now show that doctors have concluded that Brown is capable of understanding the charges against him, clearing the way for criminal proceedings to move forward.
Brown had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to Fox 4 News, a condition his lawyers argue may have contributed to his actions the night of Gernon’s murder.
The case centers around the chilling events of May 2021, when 4-year-old Cash Gernon was abducted from his bedroom in southwest Dallas. A baby monitor captured disturbing footage showing Brown entering the home and removing the child from his crib in the middle of the night.
Hours later, Cash’s lifeless body was discovered by a jogger in a nearby street, just blocks from his home. Investigators said the boy had been stabbed to death, and blood matching Cash’s DNA was found on Brown’s clothing.
The gruesome details of the case, combined with video evidence and DNA links, have kept the community on edge for nearly two years, as Brown was first indicted by a grand jury in 2021 on charges of capital murder, kidnapping, and burglary.
However, Brown’s mental health status has been an obstacle throughout his prosecution.
The accused killer’s defense team has consistently argued that he was in a psychotic state when he murdered the young child, suggesting that Brown may have been experiencing hallucinations or delusions. These claims have been complicated by the fact that Brown was released from a mental health facility shortly before the murder.
After multiple evaluations by the prosecution and defense’s medical experts, Brown was found incompetent to stand trial in 2022. However, recent reports from the Texas Department of State Health Services indicate that he has made enough progress in his mental health treatment program to be considered competent for an upcoming trial.
Although Brown is now deemed competent, a trial date had not been set at the time of publication.
Brown is currently being held in Dallas County, according to jail records, where his mental condition continues to be monitored.