As expected last week, sentencing for Devawn Mitchell is officially on hold until further notice.
Sentencing was originally set for Friday, but that hearing is now delayed after Judge Lee Fowler approved a competency evaluation late last week. The report has not been made available for review.
Following a two-day bench trial in January, Fowler convicted Mitchell of first-degree felony murder, aggravated assault on law enforcement and felony flee and elude in the traffic death of fellow Emporian Steve Henry following a crash in March 2021. Mitchell had been accused of leading local law enforcement on at least two pursuits and continuing at high speed — after a chase had been halted — before his car ran into Henry’s truck on West Sixth near Lawrence, killing Henry at the scene.
