WURTLAND, Ky. — A Kentucky man has been found mentally competent to stand trial in the Aug. 7, 2010, murder of Chadd E. Miller, formerly of Chimacum.
Beryl W. Smith, 33, of Raceland, was ordered by Greenup County Circuit Judge Robert Conley on Dec. 9 to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center in Frankfort, Ky.
Smith was found capable of standing trial for first-degree murder at a competency hearing Feb. 23, Circuit Court Deputy Clerk Melinda Lawson said Wednesday.
A pretrial hearing for Smith is set at 1 p.m. May 26.
Smith, who has pleaded not guilty, was apprehended without incident at about 3:15 a.m. Aug. 7 while standing outside his ex-girlfriend’s home, where Miller’s body was found, according to court records.
Smith allegedly shot Miller, 27, with a 9 mm handgun while Miller was in bed with his ex-girlfriend, Amber Nolan, 27.
Smith was indicted by a grand jury for first-degree murder, a death penalty offense, and for wanton endangerment and first-degree burglary.
A 2000 graduate of Chimacum High School, Miller met Nolan on the social networking site MySpace before moving to Wurtland, Ky., to be with her.
Miller died 11 days after arriving in Wurtland, a town of about 1,000 on the Ohio River.
Nolan has two elementary-school-age children, a neighbor said in an earlier interview.
Miller was the father of a 9-year-old boy, The Leader newspaper in Port Townsend reported.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.