NORFOLK, Va. – A federal judge has reversed the decision to forcibly medicate Ashanti Billie’s accused killer.
Prosecutors argued being medicated would improve Eric Brian Brown’s competency to stand trial, and originally the judge agreed.
However, this week the judge granted a stay on that order after the defense requested it.
The court ruling says the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit will make the final decision next month, which is when Brown’s time for filing an appeal expires.
This comes after prosecutors asked doctors to treat Brown’s schizophrenia earlier this month.
Brown is accused of abducting the 19-year-old from her job on JEB Little Creek-Fort Story in 2017. Her body was found in Charlotte, North Carolina, a little more than a week later.
Click here for our full coverage on the disappearance of Ashanti Billie
