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A juvenile court judge on Thursday ordered a competency evaluation for a West Valley City teen accused in the 2015 sexual assault and murder of his 12-year-old neighbor.

The 16-year-old boy is charged in 3rd District Juvenile Court with first-degree-felony counts of aggravated murder and rape of a child in the July 2015 death of Kailey Vijil.

The teen's defense attorneys asked the court for the competency evaluation. In earlier hearings, the attorneys have said they feared the boy could not understand the court process and may not be competent for trial.

Juvenile Court Judge James Michie ordered the hearing from the bench and scheduled a two-day competency hearing for Nov. 9 and 10.

The order triggers an evaluation of the boy by the experts with the state's Department of Human Services.

But both defense attorneys and Salt Lake County prosecutors said Thursday they intend to hire independent experts, so the teen will undergo three evaluations, altogether.

The Salt Lake Tribune does not identify juvenile defendants unless they have been certified to stand trial in adult court.

Prosecutors intend to seek certification, but a judge can't rule on the issue without first holding a hearing to assess the case evidence and considering the severity of the alleged crimes, community safety, the teen's psychological records, family history and rehabilitation needs.

Vijil was found dead about 1:30 a.m. on July 17, 2015, in an overgrown horse pasture near 3600 South and 5200 West, about a half-mile from her family's home.

Police say the boy lured her out — with her family's permission — just before midnight on July 16, claiming he needed help looking for a lost cat.

Court documents say a medical examiner found the girl had been sexually assaulted and that DNA found on her body matched DNA samples from the boy.

The boy is being held in a juvenile detention facility, and bail is set at more than $1 million