Lang/Hunter
10/28/19
A competency hearing Monday for an Iowa City man facing a murder charge after initiating a head-on collision on Interstate 80 has determined that he is fit to stand trial.
32-year-old Stephen Lucore is charged with 1st Degree Murder, Vehicular Homicide, Serious Injury By Vehicle and four counts of Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury. Lucore’s lawyers requested the hearing, citing his history of “mental disorder and treatment.”
Lucore’s attorneys say a few weeks before the crash he was removed from the roof of a parking ramp from which he intended to jump.
The Press-Citizen reports that a staff psychiatrist at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center filed a report on September 27th concluding that Lucore is competent. That report prompted the Johnson County Court to allow proceedings to continue as scheduled.
Lucore is accused of driving his Hyundai Sonata the wrong way on I-80, allegedly in an attempt to kill himself. He survived the June 16th collision, but a passenger in the car he hit, identified as 64-year-old Robert Sawyer of Nocona, Texas, died of his injuries. Four other passengers were injured.
Police say Lucore was driving at 80 miles an hour without his headlights on. He was not wearing his seatbelt, and allegedly told authorities that he was trying to kill himself.
Lucore was on probation for a domestic abuse charge at the time of the crash. A probation revocation hearing is scheduled for November 18th.
Lucore has pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to court documents filed Monday. He remains jailed on $1 million bail. If convicted, he faces life in prison with no parole.