Man found competent to stand trial in fatal knife attack at I-80 rest area in Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Ohio man accused of stabbing a couple at an Interstate 80 rest area has been found mentally competent to stand trial.

Hall County Judge Arthur Wetzel wrote Tuesday that James Thompson Jr. “has the ability to understand the nature and subject matter of the case against him.”

Wetzel found probable cause to arraign the 22-year-old and transferred the case to district court.

Thompson is charged with 11 felonies, including first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.

SEE ALSO: A man accused of stabbing a couple at the I-80 rest area in Nebraska will undergo a psychological evaluation

Court documents describe a brutal crime on June 19 at the I-80 rest area south of Grand Island.

According to an affidavit, Thompson stabbed a Missouri couple multiple times while trying to steal a Jeep that was attached to their RV.

Gary Weaver, 72, died at a hospital; Mary Weaver, 71, suffered serious injuries to her head and neck, the affidavit said.

Thompson underwent a court-ordered psychological evaluation this summer.

SEE ALSO: A man was killed and a woman was seriously injured in a knife attack at the I-80 rest area in Nebraska