The trial of Caleb Womack, the last of four men to be tried in connection with an alleged 2012 gang rape of a University of Massachusetts student, has been pushed back again.
Three men – Emmanuel Bile, Justin King and Adam Liccardi – have already been convicted in connection with the rape of a then-UMass student in her Pierpont Hall dorm room in October 2012. Womack has maintained that he did not have sex with the victim, while the other men all said they had sex with the woman.
Womack’s trial was scheduled to begin last Monday, but his lawyer, Jonah Goldsmith, raised concerns as to whether Womack is competent to stand trial after a psychologist affiliated with the court said Womack is clinically depressed, per MassLive. A Northampton Superior Court judge ordered Womack to be committed to Worcester State Hospital for a five-day evaluation period, which was scheduled to be completed Wednesday, according to a statement released by the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.
However, the hospital requested an extension in the evaluation period until Dec. 8, according to the release. Womack’s trial is not expected to begin until after Thanksgiving, and could be delayed as far into next year, according to MassLive.
A status hearing to provide an update is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Nov. 24.
Mark Chiarelli can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.