Man Accused in 1980 Slaying in Virginia Declared Competent

A West Virginia prisoner has been found mentally competent to stand trial in a decades-old slaying in Virginia's horse country.

A judge in Fauquier County Circuit Court on Monday restored 66-year-old Ronald Cloud's competency.

Cloud had been sent to Central State Hospital in Petersburg last October after he was found incompetent to stand trial.

He is now set to stand trial in October on charges related to the 1980 New Year's Eve killing of Brad Baker, reported FauquierNow. Baker was the manager of an estate owned by relatives of Stephen Currier of the famed Currier and Ives prints, and banker and philanthropist Andrew Mellon.

West Virginia records show Cloud had been a prisoner in the Mount Olive Correctional Facility for kidnapping, conspiracy and sexual assault charges.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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