Judge dismisses case against man accused of stabbing doctor due to mental incompetency

LAKEWOOD, Colo — A judge dismissed the case against a man charged with attempted first-degree murder in connection with the stabbing of a Lakewood doctor in 2022 due to the suspect’s mental incompetency.

Ross McPherson was arrested days after the May 6, 2022 incident, which happened at a doctor’s office on West Jefferson Avenue in Lakewood. The victim, a primary care physician at the office, was stabbed in his abdomen in the hallway shortly before 2 p.m. that day.

At the time of his arrest, police said McPherson “claimed severe delusions and hallucinations” during his interview with officers, and his mom said that he took medication for a mental disorder and that she suspected he was off his medication. She said he did not have a firm diagnosis of the disorder.

Since his arrest in 2022, the case has been working its way through the court system, until finally, on Tuesday, District Judge Diego Hunt dismissed the case, citing his incompetency. He wrote in the order that there is “not a substantial probability” that McPherson would be restored to competency in the “foreseeable future.”

Hunt’s ruling came after a doctor found in January that McPherson continued to “harbor delusional thoughts” that impacted his ability to work with counsel. The doctor wrote that his treatment had little effect.

Hunt also cited state law in his ruling, writing that the law says the court “shall” dismiss criminal proceedings if it’s found that there is not a “substantial probability” the defendant will be restored to competency in the “foreseeable future.”

The order notes that McPherson is under a temporary order to be held in a mental healthcare facility, and is currently hospitalized at the Colorado Mental Health Hospital in Pueblo.