Man facing hate crime in Wisconsin crash found incompetent
A Mexican American man from Wisconsin charged with homicide as a hate crime because prosecutors say he intentionally crashed his pickup truck into a white motorcyclist has been committed to a psychiatric facility
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Mexican American man from Wisconsin charged with homicide as a hate crime because prosecutors say he intentionally crashed his pickup truck into a white motorcyclist has been committed to a psychiatric facility.
Daniel Navarro, 27, of Fond du Lac, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide with a hate crime enhancer for the July 3 crash that killed Phillip Thiessen in Fond du Lac County.
Prosecutors say Navarro struck Thiessen's motorcycle head-on in the town of Taycheedah.
After two psychiatric exams, Fond du Lac County Judge Richard Nuss determined Wednesday that Navarro is not competent to stand trial, meaning he does not understand the court proceedings and cannot assist in his own defense, WLUK-TV reported.
Thiessen, 55, was a retired special agent with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and a former police officer. Authorities said Navarro didn’t know Thiessen, but targeted him because he was white.
Navarro told investigators he had been harassed by co-workers and neighbors, and poisoned, drugged and verbally attacked by white people because of his race, authorities said.
During an interview at the sheriff’s office, Navarro said he wanted to go to prison for the rest of his life so he could be free from his neighbors, who he could hear making racist comments through the walls of his house, according to a criminal complaint.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.