Ashanti Billie's alleged killer not competent to stand trial, judge says

WASHINGTON - The man who police say murdered Prince George’s County native Ashanti Billie after abducting her from a Virginia military base will not stand trial unless his mental health can be restored.

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Virginia television station WAVY-TV reported Tuesday that a federal judge has ruled that Eric Brown has not been restored to competency with medication. 

Brown had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. 

Police said he killed Ashanti Billie after abducting her from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in 2017.

READ MORE: Friends gather in Prince George's county to remember Ashanti Billie

Federal prosecutors are expected to seek a civil commitment to have Brown placed in a facility. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a statement that it will prosecute Brown in the future if he becomes mentally competent.

READ MORE: Autopsy finds Virginia student Ashanti Billie died of 'undetermined trauma'

Billie graduated from Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro and then moved to Virginia Beach for culinary school.

She vanished after heading to work at a sandwich shop on the military base in Norfolk. 

READ MORE: Ashanti Billie's parents talk to FOX 5 about the investigation into their daughter's tragic death

Surveillance video captured Billie's car coming and going on Sept. 18. from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek where she worked.

Her cellphone was eventually found in a trash dumpster. Several days later, her car was found abandoned about 12 miles from the base.

READ MORE: President signs Ashanti Alert Act into law

In 2019, President Donald Trump signed the Ashanti Act – which was a step toward creating something akin to an Amber Alert for adults who may have been kidnapped.

The Associated Press contributed to this report