WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Attorneys for a man accused of brutally attacking a nurse at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital earlier this year were back in court Monday morning.
Lawyers asked Circuit Court Judge Caroline Shepherd to order a mental competency evaluation for their client, Stephen Scantlebury.
Shepherd denied the request but said the defendant could file an amended motion.
Scantlebury, who remains in custody at the Palm Beach County jail, was not in court for the hearing.
Defense attorney Scott Simmons told WPTV they plan to refile the competency motion.
The next hearing for the case is scheduled for April 23.
Scantlebury, 33, was a patient at Palms West Hospital on Feb. 18 when investigators said he attacked Leelamma Lal, a 67-year-old nurse.
Inspectors with Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration visited the hospital on Feb. 24 to look for potential deficiencies in state safety regulations.
Their inspection report, released in March, said "no deficiencies" were found at the hospital.
Starting April 1, a Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy is now posted at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital full time, according to a statement in March from spokesman Louis Lochte.
Lal continues to recover from her injuries weeks after the attack.
Scantlebury faces a charge of attempted murder with a hate crime enhancement.
READ MORE OF WPTV'S COVERAGE OF THE CASE:
West Palm Beach
Nurse brutally attacked suffers 'uncertain road' after medical complications
WPTV Investigates
Hospital staff called 911 on another patient 2 weeks after nurse attack
WPTV Investigates
This hospital is adding workspace for law enforcement
WPTV Investigates
Attorney of injured nurse petitions hospital for evidence
Loxahatchee Acreage
Nurse attack suspect will remain jailed
Loxahatchee Acreage
Frantic 911 calls describe moments nurse was brutally attacked
Loxahatchee Acreage
Nurse advocates push for harsher penalties for assaulting health care workers
WPTV Investigates
New details emerge on how Palms West nurse attack suspect ended up at hospital
WPTV Investigates
Who was watching patient before nurse attacked?
Loxahatchee Acreage
Nurse attack suspect had displayed 'unusual behavior,' attorneys say
Loxahatchee Acreage
'Essentially every bone' broken in nurse's face, affidavit says
Loxahatchee Acreage
