A Boone County judge has rejected a request from an attorney for accused Columbia murderer Emma Adams to have her committed to the state Department of Mental Health (DMH). However, Boone County Circuit Judge Jeff Harris has ordered DMH to conduct an evaluation of the 21-year-old Adams to determine whether she is competent to proceed.
Boone County prosecutors have charged Adams with second degree murder, armed criminal action and two other felonies. She’s accused of the January killing of an autistic Mizzou student who was stabbed to death. She then allegedly dragged his body through a yard in a north Columbia neighborhood and set it on fire in a firepit.
The court will ultimately determine whether or not Adams has the mental capacity to proceed. That includes whether or not she has the mental ability to understand the charges against her.
The Columbia Police Department’s graphic probable cause statement says Adams admits stabbing and killing Samuel Michael Clemons. Court documents quote Adams as telling MUPD officers that she killed the victim in self-defense after being beaten.
