Amenia murder suspect ‘lacks capacity’ for trial

POUGHKEEPSIE — After a thorough evaluation by three doctors to determine his mental capacity, Wassaic resident and murder suspect David A. Trotta was officially declared unfit for trial. The 26-year-old defendant was supposed to proceed with his criminal case on Tuesday, April 19. Instead, an order will be signed sending him to a psychiatric hospital until he is deemed fit to proceed with trial.

On Sunday, Jan. 16, Trotta was arrested on the scene and charged with fatally stabbing his neighbor, 45-year-old Juan Carlos Cedillo.

Both Trotta and Cedillo resided on the first floor of an apartment house at 173 South Amenia Road in Wassaic. Trotta lived in one of the first-floor apartments with his mother while Cedillo lived with his wife in the other first-floor apartment.

Trotta was arraigned in Amenia Town Court and charged with Murder in the Second Degree, a class A-1 felony, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 4th degree, a class A misdemeanor that day.

He was remanded by Amenia Town Justice Christopher Klingner to the Dutchess County Jail in Poughkeepsie without bail.

On Tuesday, March 1, Trotta appeared in Dutchess County Court before the Honorable Jessica Segal. He was represented by Attorneys Robert Demono and Brad White from the Dutchess County Public Defender’s Office.

Dutchess County Assistant District Attorneys (ADAs) Sarah Thompson and David Kunca are prosecuting the case.

Trotta was presented to the Grand Jury and arraigned on the indictment for stabbing Cedillo as part of the County Court proceedings.

A hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, March 16, to evaluate Trotta’s capacity and mental fitness to proceed with the case. If he was found capacitated, his case would have proceeded with motion practice, hearings and a trial.

If not, Trotta was to be remanded to the Commissioner of Mental Health and sent to a psychiatric hospital until deemed fit to proceed.

Trotta appeared before Judge Segal again for last month’s hearing, during which time two doctors performed an initial evaluation and found Trotta lacked the capacity to understand the proceedings. They determined he was unfit to proceed with the court case at the present time.

The hearing was then adjourned until Wednesday, April 13, at 2 p.m., when a third doctor was hired by the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office to further evaluate Trotta.

However, Demono reported that the Wednesday, April 13, hearing was adjourned and a conference was set up with the Judge Segal for Tuesday, April 19, at 9:30 a.m. at Dutchess County Court.

After evaluating Trotta, Demono said the third doctor who was hired by the DA’s Office agreed he lacks the mental capacity to stand trial.

Following their conference on Wednesday morning, Demono said an order will be signed for Trotta to go to a psychiatric hospital until he’s fit to proceed, at which time then the case will return on the docket.

As of this time, Demono said he is uncertain which psychiatric hospital Trotta will go to, though he said it will be in New York. Nor is he sure how long Trotta will remain hospitalized.

“They’ll evaluate him and when they decide that he’s now fit or has the requisite understanding and capacity to understand the proceedings and to assist in his own defense, until they deem him fit to proceed, he’ll remain there,” Demono said.

Once Trotta can stand trial, Demono said a new court date will be set.