Judge hears testimony on mental competency of Charleston murder defendant

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — A judge spent part of Monday hearing testimony focused on whether a defendant connected to a Charleston murder case is mentally fit to move forward in his criminal case.

Travis Wilson is facing charges tied to a 2020 crime spree that prosecutors say included a series of armed robberies and ended with the fatal shooting of 63-year-old Tom DiLorenzo in downtown Charleston.

The main question in front of the judge is whether Wilson can meaningfully understand what he’s charged with and participate in his own defense.

To help answer that, defense attorneys called forensic psychologist Dr. Jessica Davis, who evaluated Wilson earlier this year.

She told the court her assessment included a review of extensive school, medical and psychological records, along with a roughly two-hour interview with Wilson.

Davis pointed to school-based testing from his childhood that placed his IQ scores in the mid 50s, along with documentation showing he was enrolled in special education programs throughout his development.

She testified that, in her opinion, Wilson continues to display significant cognitive limitations and has difficulty grasping more complex legal ideas even after repeated evaluations over time.

“My focus is on whether an individual can restate basic legal concepts in their own words and understand the steps that follow in a criminal case,” Davis said. “I also look at whether they can take that information and use it to make decisions, and whether they understand what the consequences of those decisions might be.”

All of that testimony will now be weighed by the judge in determining whether Wilson is competent to proceed in court and how the case moves forward from here.

Another competency hearing is set for next Tuesday.