Defense attorney: Former player accused of fatally shooting Iowa coach incompetent for trial

Attorney: Alleged Iowa coach shooter incompetent

DES MOINES, Iowa — The defense attorney for a man accused of killing an Iowa high school football coach in June says her client suffers from hallucinations and is not competent to stand trial.

Coach Ed Thomas was fatally shot on June 24 in a weight room in front of about 20 students at Aplington-Parkersburg High School in northeast Iowa. Twenty-four-year-old Mark Becker, a former player, is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying.

Becker’s attorney, public defender Susan Flander, filed documents Tuesday indicating Becker has undergone a psychological evaluation and the doctor believes Becker is not competent for trial.

A spokesman for the Iowa attorney general’s office said it would ask the court for a separate evaluation.

(This version CORRECTS public defender’s last name to Flander.)