Des Moines man charged with killing 2 relatives found not competent to stand trial

A Des Moines man accused of fatally stabbing two relatives was found not competent to stand trial last week, making him one of three defendants charged with murder in Polk County recently ordered to undergo treatment. 

Joshua Lee Adams, 30, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of his mother, Tracy Linn Adams, 49, and his uncle, Gaylord George Jolly, Jr., 54.

Adams stabbed his relatives numerous times, causing their deaths, authorities said. Officers found their bodies in a home at 3927 E. 26th St. on the city's northeast side.

Adams, who police said lived with his mother, suffers from a mental disorder that prevents him from understanding the charges against him, a judge said. He could not effectively assist his attorney in defending him at trial, court records show. 

A judge committed Adams for treatment of his mental illness to restore him to competency, according to court documents. Noting he could be a danger to the public, the judge said Adams did not qualify to be released from custody.

In January, Adams' attorney said his client may suffer from a mental disorder. 

A doctor will check in with the court about Adams' competency within a month of the judge's order and then every two months after the initial report. Further proceedings in the case were suspended until then.

Des Moines police investigated the killings at the end of the year as the 12th and 13th homicides in 2018. The year before, the city ended 2017 with 25 homicides — the most since 1978, when 27 people were slain, according to police data.

Another Des Moines man, Sean Foster, 30, was also recently found not competent to stand trial for first-degree murder. Foster was charged in the December fatal stabbing of his cousin, who was dead for days when his body was discovered, police said. 

In another case, Donterius Bomar, 21, was found not competent to stand trial for first-degree murder in the death of Charles Childs, who was found dead Jan. 10 in a homeless camp in Des Moines. Bomar struck Childs, 69, with a vehicle two days earlier as he walked on the city's northeast side, police said.