Judge rules former OU student is mentally competent, will stand trial
A former University of Oklahoma student who told police he drove from Ohio to Norman to kill a member of the OU women's soccer team is mentally competent and will stand trial, a judge has ruled.
Elton Jenkins, the defendant's attorney, wrote in a November court filing that Ferdous has “a medical history of Asperger's syndrome.”
“He was first diagnosed with this disability (in) middle school,” Jenkins wrote. “In 2003-2004, a school psychologist diagnosed him as emotionally disturbed and later, after psychiatric evaluations, medical professionals diagnosed him as high functioning autistic.”
Jenkins also wrote that his client was hospitalized for seven days following his removal from the American Eagle flight in the Dallas area in January 2011.
“He was again diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome (at Parkland),” the lawyer wrote.
Asperger syndrome is typically defined as a developmental disorder that hinders an individual's ability to socialize, making effective communication more difficult.
Among children and younger people, the disorder can manifest itself through social awkwardness and a borderline obsessive interest in particular subjects.
Ferdous was arrested Oct. 17 in Norman after he was spotted on the OU campus following his threats against Devonshire. He has since been charged with conspiring to commit an act of violence and stalking.
The defendant, who is being held at the Cleveland County jail in lieu of $2 million bail, is due in court next week for a preliminary hearing conference, court records show.
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