Judge: Man accused in fatal Shandon stabbing may be incompetent to stand trial
A San Luis Obispo County man accused of fatally stabbing his stepmother and injuring his father may not be competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Thursday.
Justin Tray Buchanan, 31, is charged with murder, attempted murder and assault. All three felony charges have added sentencing enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon, in this case a knife.
Buchanan was arrested July 17 after a five-hour manhunt that caused a shelter-in-place order in the town of Shandon. He is accused of killing his stepmother, 44-year-old Kelly Jean Buchanan, and seriously wounding his 52-year-old father, William Louis “Billy” Buchanan.
The stabbing took place around 9 p.m. at Kelly and Billy Buchanan’s Shandon home, where Justin Buchanan was living at the time. Kelly was pronounced dead at the scene and Billy was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
If convicted, Buchanan could spend the rest of his life in prison.
San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge George C. Eskin “declared doubt” for Buchanan’s current mental competency to stand trial. This declaration will suspend his criminal case until a psychiatrist evaluates Buchanan and determines whether he can stand trial.
For legal competency, a defendant must be able to understand the crimes they are being charged with and be able to help their lawyer with their defense.
If Buchanan is found incompetent, his criminal trial will be suspended until mental competency is restored.
Buchanan is expected to be evaluated in the next 30 days. His next court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 24. In the meantime, the judge said, Buchanan will remain in San Luis Obispo County Jail without bail.
Buchanan did not enter a plea to his charges.
SLO County man accused of murder had previous arrests
According to court documents, Buchanan has been charged with domestic violence-related crimes twice: once in 2013 and again in 2019.
Buchanan was convicted of obstructing or resisting an executive officer, inflicting corporal injury on his then girlfriend, false imprisonment with force and battery on a peace officer in 2013.
In 2019, he was charged with battery on a spouse or cohabitant over a March 2019 incident in Arroyo Grande, against a woman Buchanan was dating and living with at the time, according to the documents. That charge was plead down to assault.
Court documents also show he was previously diagnosed with major depression with psychiatric features in 2013.
Buchanan has struggled with his mental health since he was a child, according to family members who spoke with The Tribune.
This story was originally published August 3, 2023 at 11:12 AM.
