The 57-year-old woman who allegedly struck a 6-year-old Asiatic boy and uttered racial slurs patch at a Las Vegas Strip mall walkway could experience her mental competency examined.

The issue came up when the defendant, Shelly Ann Hill, appeared in court finally hebdomad on multiple charges for the July 6 incident. These include committing a hate crime, battery, and shaver abuse.

When appearing in Las Vegas court, Hill told Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia she did non realize how she could follow supercharged with a hate crime, according to the Associated Press.

Hill also requested to follow released from jail without posting bond, the AP adds.

Am i going home?” J. J. Hill asked Letizia at 1 peak during the royal court appearance.

Letizia said public defenders will have got to fig come out whether to petition a competency evaluation. Over the prior triplet years, J. J. Hill has had competency examinations for previous court cases, the AP said.

Hill remained inwards custody at the Mark Clark County Detention Center on Tuesday. She has in time to carry a $10,000 bond. She is due to come along inward royal court once more on July 27.

Video on TikTok

The boy was non injured from the attack. a picture of the incident was posted by the victim’s mother. It got over 1 billion views on TikTok.

As the slip continues, a competency exam could play a cay role in the justness process, lawyers said.

She has to live able to see the charges against her and live able-bodied to assist inwards her possess defense,” Henry Martyn Robert Jarvis, a prof at Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad College of Law, told Casino.org nearly Hill.

“A defendant who cannot perform these deuce things cannot live tried, although they put up live sent to a mental wellness facility where doctors tin can try to restitute the defendant’s competency so that they can be tried,” Jarvis said.

A test is not reasonable if the defendant does non read the charges against her and cannot assist inwards her possess defense, Jarvis added.

The medico who conducts such an exam is sounding to spend a penny trusted the suspect is lucid.

“A physician has to live convinced that the suspect understands why she’s beingness held and the possible consequences if she is found guilty,” Jarvis explained.

If convicted on the charges, J. J. Hill could face a prison house sentence.

Seriousness Of Charges Not the Issue

Even though the pillowcase got a lot of public attending that is non why her competency may follow reviewed.

“The sincerity of the file does non matter — all trials in this rural area must be fairish and a fairish trial cannot live held if the defendant is mentally incompetent,” Jarvis said.

In addition, Christopher Slobogin, professor of law at Commodore Vanderbilt University where he also directs the Criminal Justice Program, told Casino.org “It appears that Benny Hill understands the nature of a hate criminal offense charge, and is just unwilling to plead shamed to it.

However, her mental wellness story and her specific reasons for believing she did non charge a hatred criminal offense may guide her attorneys to bespeak an evaluation to see if she has irrational beliefs almost what she has through or what her legal options are,” Slobogin added.