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LISBON -- Judge Megan Bickerton agreed Monday to order a sanity and competency evaluation for Michael Blower, the man charged with aggravated murder in the March 3 shooting death of Rusty Steele in Lisbon.
The evaluation will be conducted by the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio.
Blower, 31, Newgarden Avenue, Salem, appeared before Bickerton in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court with his defense attorneys Lou DeFabio and Holly Hanni. They recently filed a motion for competency/sanity after initially filing a written plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Acording to the motion, there are a number of factors for the insanity and competency issues being raised, based on attorney-client discussions.
"As a result of these discussions, counsel began to form a belief that the defendant's mental faculties might become an issue in this case. Obviously, the attorney-client privilege prohibits disclosure of the information leading to counsels' beliefs; however, the undersigned certify as officers of this court, that they have a good faith basis for requesting a competency and sanity evaluation for the defendant. Conversations between counsel and the defendant's family have confirmed these beliefs," the motion said.
County Assistant Prosecutor Alec Beech had no objection to the evaluation.
Blower also signed a time waiver for having his case tried in a certain amount of time.
Blower was indicted last month for charges of aggravated murder and murder, both with firearms specifications, and entered a not guilty plea during arraignment. He remains in custody at the county jail under a $1.5 million bond.
The indictment alleged that Blower "did purposely, and with prior calculation and design, cause the death of another (Rusty J. Steele)," with the charge being aggravated murder. For the murder charge, the indictment said Blower "did purposely cause the death of another (Rusty J. Steele)."
Steele, 40, resided on Harvey Avenue, Lisbon at the time of his death.
County Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino said previously that Blower could face a possible sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of the aggravated murder charge.
Steele was found facedown in the street with a gunshot wound to the chest on West Spruce Street the night of March 3. Blower turned himself in on March 4 and allegedly confessed to shooting Steele. An affidavit filed in the case against Blower said he and Steele had been arguing by phone all evening. Steele had children with Blower's wife. The night of the shooting, Steele was at his girlfriend's home on West Spruce Street.
Lisbon Police Chief Mike Abraham said officers "learned Mr. Steele was lured out of the house when someone knocked on the door and said their car broke down and wanted to know if he could give them a jump."
When Steele went outside and was seated in his vehicle, he was allegedly approached by Blower, who shot him.
No dates were set for a future status conference or trial, pending the outcome of the evaluation.
Family members for both the victim and the defendant attended the hearing.
mgreier@mojonews.com