Norman man fit to stand trial after admitting to hallucinating in court last month

The judge presiding over the hearing to review the mental health of the man posted two guards outside the courtroom Tuesday, but later he said he did not intend to make the entire hearing private.

According to court records, a mental health evaluation of Brandon Ke Reed, 20, found him competent enough to stand trial. The evaluation isn't a public record because it pertains to Reed's mental health.

Reed's attorney, Irven Box, requested the mental health evaluation following his client's testimony at Billy Dean Battenfield's July 12 preliminary hearing.

Battenfield, 59, and Reed are accused of stabbing to death an 80-year-old Norman man in November. The much-younger Reed had struck a deal with prosecutors to testify against his accomplice.

Prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty for Battenfield, who was convicted of three murders in the late 1970s. He was living in Oklahoma after being released from prison and was still on parole out of Texas.

Clair Owen Pollard, who had befriended Reed years earlier, died of multiple stab wounds. His death — described at length by Reed during his testimony — stretched out over an extended period of time.

During Battenfield's preliminary hearing, Reed talked about an alter ego named “Max.”

He said the unseen entity was in the courtroom during his testimony.

“He never really has anything positive to say,” Reed said in July. “He's just a bad influence.”