Federal Judge Finds Daniel Larson Competent to Proceed, Sets Trial Date
COMPETENT!
The biggest Larson news in a very long time.
After months of psychiatric evaluations, testimony from multiple psychiatrists, and an evidentiary hearing, Judge Rodriguez has ruled that Daniel Larson is competent to proceed in his federal criminal case.
This concludes 20 months of Daniel’s competency being the focus, which included three cycles of treatment and evaluation at MCFP Springfield, and now case proceedings will focus on the actual 7 felony charges that he was indicted on.
A competency determination does not decide his guilt or innocence. Instead, the court was evaluating whether Daniel:
Understands the nature of the criminal charges
Comprehends the court process
Can meaningfully assist defense counsel in preparing a defense
By finding Daniel competent, the court has determined that he meets the legal standard required for the case to move forward toward trial or other pretrial proceedings.
MORE FROM THE JUDGE:
Screenshot from document addressing Daniel’s obsession with Grace VanderWaal.
“However, he still would like to be a famous singer/songwriter, which Dr. Hanson attributes to fantastical thinking strengthened by interactions with his “fans.” Dr. Hanson opined that Defendant did not qualify for an intellectual disability diagnosis.” -Judge Rodriguez
The ruling cites that there was a 2011 report where Daniel's mom shared that Daniel had a "non-accidental head injury around age 3 weeks, and a seizure around 5 months." Daniel reported that when he was 8 years old, his mom hit him with a hammer. At numerous points, the psychiatrists pointed to these multiple head injuries as a cause for some of Daniel's developmental deficiencies.
It is noted that Daniel has an IQ of 72.
Dr. Mill's view on his competency
“While the Court finds both Dr. Hanson and Dr. Mills to be qualified and credible, the Court gives more weight to Dr. Hanson’s assessment of Defendant’s competency. Dr. Hanson met with Defendant weekly for nearly a year and saw his improvement with medication, treatment, and education. Dr. Mills testified that he only spent 20 to 30 minutes with Defendant when he first met with him, which was before Dr. Hanson determined Defendant was competent.” -Judge Rodriguez
Defense counsel argues that although Defendant’s legal knowledge and understanding appear to demonstrate competency because he repeats information back to the evaluators, he cannot understand complex ideas or create and implement plans.” -Judge Rodriguez
On 3/3, Judge Rodriguez also made it known that Daniel no longer qualifies for the free public defender (Jared Westbroek) assigned to him. It's unclear what changed and under what circumstances, but it appears Daniel has a private attorney who will be joining the case. The new attorney will take over the case and work with Daniel through the next stages.
TRIAL TIMELINE
Timelines for cases like this often will end up being delayed but the following dates were set by the judge:
Pretrial motions due March 20, 2026
5-day jury trial set for April 20, 2026
What Happens Next
Now that Daniel has been deemed to be competent to stand trial, the case reverts back to what was happening in May 2024, with Daniel back to facing 7 felony counts and up to 65 years in prison. Daniel will be transferred back to MCFP Springfield until March 20th.
Follow @larsonleak and @flexburgerr on Twitter/X for more updates.
