Cole competency hearing delayed until September

If a Williamsburg man, who tried to have his name changed to Victor Von Frankenstein one week before he allegedly killed someone earlier this year, is found incompetent to stand trial next month, then he would be sent off to a state mental institution for treatment, and could still possibly be ordered to stand trial at a later time.

Jeffery Cole is charged with murder in connection with a January incident in southern Whitley County.

Jeffery Cole, 27, of Williamsburg, was originally scheduled for a competency hearing Monday in Whitley Circuit Court, but Judge Dan Ballou agreed to postpone the hearing until Sept. 10 because the doctor, who did the evaluation, was unavailable Monday.

If Cole, who has a lengthy history of mental illness, is found not competent to stand trial, then prosecutors would file a petition to have him declared incompetent and committed to a state institution for a period of 365 days, said Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble.

The state institution that Cole would be sent to is located in Lexington.

If Cole becomes competent during that time period with the help of proper medication, therapy and so forth, then prosecutors would file a motion to have him brought back to Whitley County to stand trial, Trimble said.

If Cole is still found incompetent to stand trial after that 365-day period, then officials would file a petition to have him committed for another 365-day period, but the proceedings would occur in Fayette County at that point rather than Whitley County, Trimble said.

“We only handle it one time here,” Trimble noted.

On Jan. 15, Cole stabbed Curtis Lawson to death in the living room of Cole’s mother, Franzine Minchen. He is charged with murder and second-degree assault in that case.

Cole ran from the scene after the stabbing, and about 5:10 p.m. the next day, he allegedly stabbed local wrecker service owner Danny Sullivan in an unconnected incident. He is charged with second-degree assault in that case.

Cole again ran from the scene and was captured by Kentucky State Police a couple of hours later after a foot pursuit.

Cole has been sent to the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center (KCPC) on multiple occasions since his arrest for treatment and to be evaluated for his competency to stand trial. KCPC is a state run psychiatric hospital, which is located in Lagrange prison. Those incarcerated in county jails or state prisons are often sent there for psychiatric treatment or evaluations to determine competency to stand trial.

Cole was last known to have been taken to KCPC on April 30 and was returned to the Whitley County Detention Center in early June.

While the results of Cole’s competency evaluation aren’t known, he does have a history of psychological issues.

He set up a Go Fund Me page in December that has since been taken down, seeking $500 million to fund his “robotics” company.

Cole was sentenced to eight years in prison for a Knoxville robbery, and while he was incarcerated squirted urine from a bottle into the face of an officer and attempted to kill a correctional employee with a homemade pocketknife, according to one prison record.

Prior to his release from prison in 2017, a mental health expert wrote that Cole was diagnosed with delusional disorder grandiose type and believed he could support himself with his inventions when he was released from prison.

According to a disability assessment report of Cole that was done in Bronx, New York, in late April 2017, Cole suffers from Tourette’s syndrome, Psychosis, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Bipolar Disorder.

The report also noted that Cole has had multiple hospitalizations for mental health issues.