Judge orders psychiatric evaluation of Meghan Markle's father
What's the story
A federal judge in Florida has ordered a psychiatric evaluation of Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan Markle. The decision was taken to assess his mental fitness to face charges of possessing child sexual abuse material. US Magistrate Judge Lindsay Griffin raised concerns over Markle's competency after observing his initial court appearance and "lack of recall."
Charges overview
What are the charges against Markle?
Markle was arrested on a federal charge of possessing child sexual abuse material.
The explicit content included explicit photos of him with an underage girl and other children in various states of undress.
One photo was taken in a motel room in the Philippines, where Markle had lived for some time.
Evidence seizure
Alleged material was found in storage units rented by Markle
Federal agents seized the alleged child sexual abuse material from storage units that were rented by Markle in Los Angeles since 2008.
The seized cache included slides, film negatives, and books.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Markle "targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions."
Current status
He was released on personal recognizance
Markle was last known to be living in Lakeland, Florida, as a nursing home patient.
After his arrest, he was released on personal recognizance with conditions of home detention and electronic monitoring.
Mary Claire Wolf has been appointed as his federal public defender, but she hasn't commented on the case yet.
Evaluation deadline
Deadline set for report submission
Judge Griffin found "reasonable cause to believe" that Markle may suffer from a mental disease or defect making him incompetent to understand court proceedings.
She appointed Dr. Amie Gerodimos, a forensic psychiatrist, to conduct an independent psychiatric exam of Markle.
The judge has set a November 20 deadline for Dr. Gerodimos to submit her report on Markle's mental fitness to stand trial.