South Park murder defendant to get new mental evaluation

A man accused of torturing and raping two women, and killing one of them, in their South Park home last summer was ordered back to Western State Hospital for 15 days to determine whether he is mentally competent to stand trial.

Lawyers for the defense and prosecution agreed that Isaiah Kalebu's mental competency should be re-evaluated after a defense mental-health expert found him incompetent.

Kalebu's lawyers had him re-evaluated by a Seattle mental-health provider after an outburst during a court hearing last month, when Kalebu announced he was "a political prisoner" and "king of America."

Earlier this summer, King County Superior Court Judge Michael Hayden had ruled he was competent to stand trial after a previous evaluation at Western State. On Tuesday, the judge ordered another mental evaluation.

If Western State experts again deem Kalebu competent to stand trial, he will return to court for a hearing, in which Hayden will again rule on whether he is well enough to be tried.

If Western State officials find he is not mentally competent, Kalebu will remain there for 90 days to determine if his competency can be restored, prosecutors said.

Kalebu is charged with aggravated first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree rape and first-degree burglary in the rape and slaying of Teresa Butz, 39, and the attack on her 37-year-old partner on July 19, 2009.

Prosecutors and police say Kalebu crawled through an open bathroom window around 1:30 a.m., stripped naked and awoke the two victims. The women were raped repeatedly and slashed with a knife, prosecutors said.

Butz managed to hurl a nightstand out the bedroom window, charging papers said. She jumped out the window, creating enough of a distraction for her partner to run out the front door.

Butz later died. Her partner survived.

Because of Kalebu's documented history of mental illness, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg is not seeking the death penalty. If convicted on the aggravated-murder charge, Kalebu will automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole or early release.

Kalebu's trial had been scheduled to begin in November. The mental evaluation will likely force postponement until next summer, prosecutors said.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com

Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.