Man accused of murdering Dallas 4-year-old Cash Gernon now competent to stand trial

The man accused of kidnapping a Dallas 4-year-old from his bed and murdering him is now competent to stand trial, a judge declared.

Darriynn Brown found competent to stand trial

What's new:

According to court records, 22-year-old Darriynn Brown underwent treatment through an "outpatient competency restoration program" and is now capable of understanding the charges against him and able to participate in his own defense.

Doctors notified the court of his competency, and a judge signed off on the order last week.

Brown was transferred from the Terrell State Hospital to the Dallas County jail and may now stand trial for capital murder.

Dallas 4-year-old Cash Gernon murdered

The backstory:

A Dallas County grand jury indicted Brown in 2021 for the capital murder of 4-year-old Cash Gernon, as well as kidnapping and burglary.

Investigators said Brown was the man seen on baby monitors taking Cash from the bedroom where he was sleeping.

Related

Camera shows 18-year-old taking Dallas 4-year-old from his bed hours before his death

An arrest affidavit says a baby video monitoring system showed Darriynn Brown, 18, taking Cash Gernon, 4, from his bed just hours before the child's body was found in a southwest Dallas street.

Cash’s body was found the next morning by a jogger eight blocks away from the home on Saddleridge Drive in Dallas. Investigators said the little boy had been stabbed to death.

According to the murder affidavit, Cash’s blood was found on Brown’s clothes.

Brown’s mental health questioned

What we know:

In 2021, FOX 4 spoke to Brown’s attorney. Heath Harris claimed his client was not guilty and was actually schizophrenic.

Harris said Brown had been released from a mental health facility just before his arrest.

In 2022, doctors for both the prosecution and the defense found Brown incompetent to stand trial.

Brown’s defense team maintained that he was in a trance-like state at the time of the murder and suffered from hallucinations.

Related

Man accused of murdering Dallas 4-year-old Cash Gernon found incompetent to stand trial

Police said Darriynn Brown killed 4-year-old Cash Gernon in Southwest Dallas last year. Now, a psychologist and a psychiatrist have found Brown incompetent.

What's next:

On Monday, Harris suggested that Brown may be entitled to the insanity defense.

He said his client is still receiving treatment for his mental health while in the Dallas County jail. 

But Harris said it's possible that Brown's mental health will decline now that he is in jail and no longer in a controlled environment. That's why he hopes to go to try as soon as possible.

The date for the trial has not yet been set.

The Source: The information in this story comes from court records and past news coverage.

DallasCrime and Public Safety