NEW ORLEANS — A man accused of fatally stabbing a New Orleans Uber driver after he 'decided he was going to kill someone', was found mentally competent to stand trial, according to Nola.com.
According to Jefferson Parish Court records, Brandon Jacobs, 31, is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Yolanda Dillion, 54, on Dec. 8, 2022.
Sheriff Joe Lopinto said that Dillion was stabbed to death before dropping Jacobs off and that Jacobs walked back to his room at the Travelodge motel near the West Bank Expressway.
Our partners reported that in May last year, a ruling from the 24th Judicial District Court Judge Lee Faulkner found that Jacobs "did not have the mental capacity to understand the legal proceedings against him or assist in his defense. "
Authorities said Jacobs has a history of mental illness. However in August, state doctors said he "had been restored", court records showed.
On Wednesday, Judge Faulkner ruled that Jacobs was "now competent enough to stand trial," Nola.com reported.
Dillion was a 10-year fiscal budget analyst for the NOPD and earned extra money by driving Uber.
Jacobs told investigators “I didn’t pick her. Uber picked her." Lopinto said Jacobs posted the video of Ms. Dillion dying to Facebook but the sheriff's office contacted the social media company and said the post was quickly taken down.
He was held without bail at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.