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Death penalty trial in killing of IMPD Officer Perry Renn to go forward

Madeline Buckley
madeline.buckley@indystar.com
Major Davis Jr., accused of killing IMPD officer Perry Renn in 2014, has been found not competent to stand trial.

A major death penalty trial was halted in October after a man accused of killing a police officer was found to be too unwell to stand trial.

But after more than three months of mental health treatment, a judge has determined that Major Davis, 27, is now able to understand the charges against him and assist in his own defense.

This clears the way for the case to move forward after it essentially was paused for several months.

Marion Superior Judge Marc Rothenberg on Tuesday scheduled a pretrial conference for March 31, as well as an October jury selection date.

Davis is accused of murder in the July 2014 slaying of Perry Renn, a 22-year veteran of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. Court documents allege Renn was killed when Davis engaged him in a gunbattle on the city's east side. If convicted, Davis faces the death penalty, an option prosecutors chose to pursue, as the killing of a police officer is an offense eligible for capital punishment in Indiana.

Officer Perry Renn, 51, a 21-year veteran with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer, was killed on July 5 in an exchange of gunfire in an alley in the 3400 block of Forest Manor Avenue on the Eastside. Twenty-five-year-old Major Davis has been charged with murder. The Marion County prosecutor's office is seeking the death penalty.

The case, entering its third year, has been stalled a number of times.

Davis repeatedly has asked to dismiss his public defender, and has filed a series of requests with the court against the advice of his attorneys. In 2015, he asked for a speedy trial and for his murder charge to be dismissed without authorization from his lawyers. Rothenberg denied those requests because they weren't signed by the attorneys.

But he appealed his case to Indiana's high courts, claiming the court was denying him his right to a speedy trial. The Indiana Appeals Court and Supreme Court ruled against Davis. The appeal, filed by Davis himself without a public defender, paused the proceedings in Marion County.

Davis's case was once again paused in October when psychiatrists who evaluated him determined he was not competent to stand trial. He was transferred into the custody of the Indiana Family and Social Services division of Mental Health and Addictions for treatment.

Earlier this month, the judge received a report from a forensic psychiatrist who determined Davis is now competent to move forward with his case.

Call IndyStar reporter Madeline Buckley at (317) 444-6083. Follow her on Twitter: @Mabuckley88.