A Sheridan man accused of murdering his mother in January is not mentally fit to face trial, a judge has ruled.
Israel Melvin, 23, was charged Jan. 10 with one count of second-degree murder after police found his mother, Leonila Melvin, dead on the floor of her home with severe trauma to the back of her head. Her body was covered by gasoline-soaked blankets.
Circuit Court Judge Jefferson Boone Coombs paused Melvin’s prosecution that same week so a mental health examiner could determine whether Melvin is mentally fit to face trial.
He’s not, Coombs concluded July 8 after receiving a report from the Wyoming State Hospital.
The case will stay paused while mental health professionals determine if they can restore Melvin to mental competency. They have 90 days to let the court know if that’s possible, says Coombs’ order.
Coombs committed Melvin to the Wyoming State Hospital for at least the next 90 days for his restoration treatments.
If Melvin cannot be made sane, the state can only confine him as long as he still poses a risk to himself or others. If he does not pose a risk, the state may have to release him.
If he can be made sane, then he can be prosecuted and, if his case advances to the felony court, can be made to give a plea.
Court Documents Say
The evidentiary affidavit in Melvin’s case says he got out of jail in December 2023, after being charged with a sex act against a 15-year-old the year before.
His parents, Paul and Leonila, were trying to save money so they could get him into a group home, but Israel caused problems and was moody, the affidavit relates from Paul’s interview.
Israel was often upset with his parents because they refused to buy him alcohol, says the document.
Knowing he had to wake up at 4:15 a.m. for work, Paul went to bed early Saturday night, says the document. But Israel called Paul at about 11 that evening to ask for a ride from the M and M Center hockey rink.
Paul went to pick Israel up and his son said he was hungry, so Paul took him out for Domino’s pizza, the affidavit says.
Then they went home together, and there were no problems at that time, according to Paul’s interview.
Why She Won’t Answer
Paul’s wife woke early with him to see him off to work the next day, says the affidavit. They parted ways at 4:35 a.m.
He tried to call her from his work phone at 1:58 that afternoon, but she didn’t answer.
The affidavit says police confirmed Paul’s accounts of his phone calls through call logs.
He tried her again at 5:33 that evening, and also tried his own personal cellphone, which he left at home because only his work phone has service in the mine, the document says.
Still, no one answered the phone.
At 7:09 p.m., Paul called Sheridan police and told them he was concerned because he hadn’t been able to reach his wife, and when he arrived home, he didn’t see her.
‘Kid Did This’
But just before the police arrived a few minutes later, Paul found his wife — dead under a heap of gasoline-soaked blankets in the living room, the affidavit alleges.
He went outside and wept out loud.
Sgt. Shaun Gerleman was the first to arrive, and found Paul sobbing.
“F***in’ kid did this,” Paul reportedly said. He gave officers consent to enter his home.
The officers found the deceased Leonila face-down on the floor with severe trauma to the back of her head.
A preliminary autopsy report says she died of blunt-force trauma via a blunt object with sharp corners. Her skull was fractured so extensively, the examiner could not tell how many times the object struck her, the affidavit says.
She also had two broken ribs.
With her under the heap of blankets and laundry was a metal stand — a flat base with sharp corners — that had tissue and blood on it; along with other metal fireplace tools, says the document.
The home reportedly smelled of gasoline.
Get A Lawyer
While police were discovering and investigating the death of his mother, Israel was already in police custody, having been arrested earlier in the day on suspicion of drug use. Police found him in a fast-food restaurant bathroom the same morning as his mother’s death, pacing in a cloud of what looked like marijuana smoke, court documents say.
His mother’s passport was on his person during his arrest, the affidavit says, adding that the drawer where Leonila kept her passport in her bedroom had been detached from its dresser and placed on the floor.
Two investigators went to talk to Israel at the Sheridan Detention Center after they found his mother dead.
When they said they wanted to talk about what happened between Israel and his mom, Israel asked for a lawyer, the affidavit says.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
