Quantcast
Get news, sports and politics alerts

Click here to manage your alerts
Omar Abas Sharif, second from left, with family and friends in 1997. Almoh Bahaji, Sharif's uncle, is at right. Courtesy Sharif family
Utah State Hospital strangulation suspect still incompetent
First Published May 01 2012 01:37 pm • Last Updated May 01 2012 02:43 pm

The man accused of strangling his roommate at the Utah State Hospital has again been found incompetent to stand trial, which puts the homicide case on hold for at least another year.

A court docket shows James Clive Norman refused to be transported to 4th District Court on Tuesday. But in his absence, attorneys from both sides agreed he cannot assist in his own defense. Judge Christine Johnson scheduled another hearing for May 7, 2013, at which time lawyers will discuss again whether Norman, 34, is competent for trial.

Photos
Join the Discussion
Post a Comment

Norman had already been found incompetent to stand trial in an assault case, when on March 18, 2011, his roommate, Omar Sharif, was found dead inside their room at the Utah State Hospital.

Provo police and prosecutors accuse Norman of strangling the 28-year-old Sharif and say Norman was upset at Sharif’s snoring.

Norman has been charged with first-degree felony murder. The hearing Tuesday addressed both the murder case and the assault case.

ncarlisle@sltrib.com

Twitter: @natecarlisle


Map


Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Top Reader Comments Read All Comments Post a Comment
Click here to read all comments   Click here to post a comment


About Reader Comments


Reader comments on sltrib.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Salt Lake Tribune. We will delete comments containing obscenities, personal attacks and inappropriate or offensive remarks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. If you see an objectionable comment, please alert us by clicking the arrow on the upper right side of the comment and selecting "Flag comment as inappropriate". If you've recently registered with Disqus or aren't seeing your comments immediately, you may need to verify your email address. To do so, visit disqus.com/account.
See more about comments here.
Staying Connected
Videos
Jobs
Shopping
Contests and Promotions