6-16-04 - Justice will have to wait in a gruesome triple murder case in Sherman. On Wednesday, a judge declared suspect Andre Thomas incompetent to stand trial in the murder of his wife and her two children.

During his competency hearing, the evaluations from two doctors were made public, which found that Thomas was not competent to stand trial.

The hearing came more than two months after the father of Laura Thomas found her body inside her apartment, along with her 4 year old son Andre and his 13 month old sister Leyha. All three had been stabbed and mutilated. Later that day, Andre Thomas surrendered to police and confessed to the killings.

But the days and weeks after the crime led to even more bizarre events. In April, while reading the Bible in his cell, Thomas managed to gouge out his right eye. That happened despite the fact that he was in a see-through cell under suicide watch.

During Thursday’s hearing, Thomas sat fidgeting next to his attorneys, and at one point asked them if this was his trial. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that as of now, Thomas is not competent to stand trial.

In the next week, he'll be transferred to Vernon State Hospital's mental health facility. He will remain there ntil he is found competent to stand trial.