Mental evaluation sought

OGDEN — A man accused of gunning down two women on Adams Avenue will undergo an evaluation to determine his mental state.

Jacob Daniel Ethridge, 31, appeared in 2nd District Court on Monday for a brief hearing. Shackled and wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, he said nothing throughout the proceedings.

Ethridge's attorney, James Retallick, requested a mental evaluation, which will take about five weeks. Weber County prosecutors had no objection, and the judge set a Sept. 8 review hearing.

"We are asking the competency of the defendant both at the time of the incidents and the present time," Judge Roger S. Dutson said Monday.

Members of Ethridge's family huddled with Retallick outside of court.

"At this point, I don't think I'm going to make any comments on the case," he told reporters.

Ethridge is charged with first-degree felony murder, accused of killing Teresa Tingey, 43, and Rosanna Cruz, 25, earlier this month. According to Ogden police, Ethridge got into a fight with his girlfriend and then drove to Adams Avenue, where he solicited the prostitutes and then killed them.

As police were responding to a report of gunshots and a woman found dead, Ethridge reportedly walked into an Ogden police station and confessed to the slayings, giving police the location of the second victim.

Investigators told the Deseret News that Ethridge had been having "homicidal thoughts" for the past year or so.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com