|
|
A mental examination has been ordered for Joseph James Benson, 36, of Edgerton, who was charged with second-degree murder last fall in relation to the death of a woman in Edgerton.
Benson’s attorney, Pamela Neumann, told Judge Kayla Johnson during a settlement conference held in Pipestone County District Court on April 15 that Benson did not recall what occurred and that she requested a mental examination. According to an order for examination signed by Judge Johnson and filed on April 15, the defense intends to assert a mental illness or cognitive impairment defense. An examination report was to be prepared and delivered to Pipestone County District Court no later than 60 days after the order was filed on April 15.
The report must contain a diagnosis of Benson’s mental condition and an opinion as to whether he “was laboring under such a defect of reason as not to know the nature of the act or that it was wrong” at the time he allegedly committed the criminal act due to mental illness or cognitive impairment, according to the order.
According to a criminal complaint filed Nov. 5, deputies with the Pipestone County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a possible domestic assault at an Edgerton residence on Nov. 2 . The report came from the property owner, who told law enforcement that Benson and his girlfriend were house sitting for her and she had received a message from Benson indicating that he had killed the woman, according to the complaint.
Officers arrived at the residence and detained Benson, who told the officers “there’s a dead body upstairs,” according to the complaint. Officers entered the house and found a woman who had no pulse. She was transported to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. A provisional report indicated that the cause of death was likely asphyxia and stated that the manner of death was homicide, according to the complaint.
Benson is being held in Nobles County Jail with bail or bond set at $250,000 with no conditions or $100,000 with the conditions that he neither use nor possess alcohol or drugs, submit to random testing, obtain permission before leaving the state, make and maintain contact with an attorney, keep his attorney informed of his contact information, remain law abiding and make all future court appearances.