CINCINNATI — Two suspects charged in the death of a 7-year-old boy whose body was found duct-taped in a closet have been deemed competent to stand trial.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Christian Jenkins ruled that 33-year-old Kirby Rankin and 23-year-old Nessa Keaney are mentally competent to stand trial in the death of 7-year-old Williams Evans. The third suspect, the boy's mother, 38-year-old Kaitlin Evans, did not have a competency hearing Tuesday.
Tuesday's rulings mean that Keaney and Rankin understand the nature of the proceedings and can assist in their own defense as the trial moves forward.
All three suspects were previously indicted by a grand jury on 13 charges:
- One count of aggravated murder
- Four counts of murder
- One count of kidnapping
- One count of felonious assault
- Four counts of child endangerment
- Two counts of conspiracy
RELATED: We break down the charges brought on by the grand jury
Each suspect has pleaded not guilty to the charges during their respective arraignments. A Hamilton County judge set a $1.1 million bond for each suspect.
According to Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich, the three suspects were co-parenting the child together.
"But they failed miserably as parents," Pillich said in August. "Instead, they committed atrocious acts, causing this child to suffer terribly."
In a 13-count indictment, prosecutors allege the three suspects exchanged text messages on the platform Signal. Prosecutors allege Rankin sent an audio message to Keaney on July 4 with plans to kidnap and kill William.
Pillich said that whether the death penalty could be on the table for the defendants has not yet been decided because the investigation is ongoing.
During their initial arraignment, an investigator told the judge that in his 21 years of law enforcement, this case is "probably one of the most disturbing examples of child abuse" that he had ever witnessed. He said that from what they could see, there were "a number of injuries that would indicate physical beatings, blunt force injuries from a striking device on the face, torso, back, upper and lower extremities."
Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco said that William Evans died as a result of blunt force trauma to his head.
Sammarco said it was apparent when she arrived at the home, where Evans was found dead on Aug. 6, that Evans had suffered a head injury; he was found in a bedroom closet, bound so that he could not move.
RELATED: Coroner says 7-year-old boy found bound, dead in closet died from head trauma
Sammarco did not provide a lot of information about the case while the investigation is ongoing, but she said William Evans' mouth was not taped, and he had multiple other injuries. Specifically, she said one of his arms was fractured, and he had multiple bruises on his body "that were too numerous to count, and of various ages."
She said her office believes Evans was dead for at least a day before he was discovered.
The coroner's office can't determine whether Evans was killed inside the home, and she could not share information about any potential weapon that may have killed him. Sammarco did say the boy's arm fracture was new, and his head was wounded in a number of different areas. He was not malnourished in any apparent way, Sammarco said.
A 911 call released to WCPO 9 that was made on Aug. 6 by a nurse at Mercy Health Rookwood also revealed details about how police came to find 7-year-old William Evans duct-taped, bound and dead inside a closet in an Oakley apartment unit.
The call, lasting nearly two minutes, was placed after Evans walked into the emergency room barefoot and seemingly in distress, claiming her son had been kidnapped.
"We have somebody that came in and kind of just dropped herself on the floor," the nurse who made the 911 call said. "She's barefoot. She's saying that her partner is trying to kill her. That they took her son."
RELATED: 911 call reveals how police found 7-year-old Oakley boy bound, dead in closet
During the call, the woman, believed to be Evans, identified the person she claimed took her son as Kirby Rankin, her partner.
"She took him (William) up to the attic," the mother said.
According to the 911 call, dispatch sent police to both the emergency room and an Oakley apartment unit.
