By Damon Huff, Champion Media – 

A man accused of murder in Brown County will have his competency to stand trial evaluated.
John R. Crum was indicted on Sept. 21, 2017, and charged with the murder of 62-year-old Marsha Thigpen of Ripley. Thigpen’s body was found on Aug. 9, at 5969 Ripley Day Hill Road in Ripley, Ohio, after authorities received a report of an unresponsive woman.
Forensic information later revealed that the cause of Thigpen’s death was a gunshot wound to the head. The wound was consistent with the type caused by a small caliber firearm, according to Brown County Sheriff Gordon Ellis.
The suggestion of incompetency was filed by Crum’s lawyers earlier in March, according to court documents.
In response to the suggestion, Judge Scott T. Gusweiler ordered an examination of Crum by a forensic center designated by the Department of Mental Health.