A Delaware man charged with murdering his parents was found not competent to stand trial earlier this week after a mental health evaluation and hearing in Delaware County Common Pleas Court.

Mohamed Lamin Kandeh, 26, of Delaware, appeared before Judge David M. Gormley on Tuesday for a competency hearing after completing an evaluation at Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare Hospital. Kandeh is charged with four counts of murder and one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony and was originally scheduled to stand trial in February. The evaluation was ordered in January after Kandeh’s attorney, David Johnson, called Kandeh’s competency into question because it had been reported to him that Kandeh had been experiencing auditory hallucinations.

At the hearing on Tuesday, Gormley reviewed the evaluation and found that Kandeh is “not currently able to understand the nature and objectives of the legal proceedings against him and is not able to assist his counsel in his defense at this time.”

In his judgment entry filed after the hearing, Gormley wrote the report states that there is a possibility that Kandeh “can be restored to competency” and said Kandeh’s treatment at Twin Valley can continue for one year.

Gormley ordered that staff at Twin Valley file written reports to the court on Kandeh’s progress and their opinion of his ability to understand the nature of the case. Gormley said the court will await an update from Twin Valley before scheduling the next hearing in the case.

The charges come after the Delaware Police Department responded to a residence at 245 Bristol Drive on Sept. 3, 2023, after two residents of the home failed to meet a family member. At the home, police found Kandeh’s parents, Mohamed Alusine Kandeh, 61, and Bintu Kandeh, 60, dead inside the home with apparent gunshot wounds. Kandeh was arrested the following day by police with the assistance of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol. The indictment lists the initials of the murder victims as M.A.K. and B.K.

At Kandeh’s arraignment, Gormley told Kandeh that he faces up to life in prison for each of the murder charges and up to 36 months in prison for the tampering with evidence charge. He added that the murder charges carry firearm specifications, which add a mandatory three years to any sentence Kandeh would receive if convicted.

Kandeh was returned to Twin Valley by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.

Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903.