Accused murderer to get
competency re-evaluation
By Josh Funk
Senior Reporter
Prosecutors will get a third opinion to
determine if Gregory Gabel is compe
tent to stand trial for the 1996 murder of
UNL freshman Martina McMenamin.
District Court Judge Paul Merritt
granted the Lancaster County Attorney's
motion for a state-appointed psychiatrist
to evaluate Gabel at a hearing
Wednesday morning.
This motion follows evaluation by
the court-appointed Lincoln Regional
Center that last month found Gabel
incompetent to stand trial.
The state appointed Dr. Park Dietz
and associates of Newport Beach. Calif.,
to evaluate Gabel.
Defense attorney Scott HeKie did
not object to the motion.
Then the defense appointed its own
competency expert - Dr. William Logan
and associates - without objection from
the prosecution.
Most of the hearing concentrated on
whether the evaluations done by Logan
and the regional center's Dr. Mario
Scalora should be shared with Dietz
before he evaluates Gabel.
“State experts should make their
own evaluation without knowledge of
the other evaluations.” Helv ie said.
Prosecutors argued that information
from the prev ious evaluations could help
Dietz find the truth and move the case
along.
“An expert can use all the informa
tion to make a better evaluation.” Deputy
County Attorney John Colburn said.
Helvie said he was concerned that
experts were being lured to contest opin
ions, not make a fair evaluation.
Judge Merritt said he would consid
er the matter and make a decision by the
end of the week.
Gabel's competency hearing was
tentativ ely scheduled for mid-May, but it
may be pushed back to June so the eval
uations can be completed.
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OUTGOING ASUN PRESIDENT Curt Ruwe and President-elect Sara Russell talk before Russell’s speech at the Wick
Alumni Center Wednesday night. All outgoing and incoming presidents and vice presidents spoke, as did
Chancellor James Moeser and Vice Chancellor James Griesen.
New ASUN senators sworn m
ASUN from page 1
“You have started ASUN really
moving forward at a rapid pace,” she
said.
Ruwe told newcomers it was their
responsibility to remember ASUN
had the responsibility to make sure
students were getting what they paid
for and w'ere happy.
“Student government is a mis
leading term,” he said. “It is the most
complicated form of customer ser
vice that exists.”
Hoffschneider took the gavel
from Amy Rager. Malcolm Kass, out
going second vice president, stepped
down as Brown stepped up.
It was the first inauguration for
Brown, but Kass has sat through five
of them.
Kass. who started out on the
Committee for Fees Allocation and
ended up second vice president, said
joining ASUN was the best decision
of his life.
Kass urged the new ASUN mem
bers to focus on informing more stu
dents about how student government
works and how to get involved.
Also in attendance at the Wick
Alumni Center were Chancellor
James Moeser. Vice Chancellor of
Student Affairs James Griesen and
Bill McLaughlin, UNL visiting
chemistry instructor, on hand to con
gratulate ASUN on a successful term.
Moeser said that in his first two
years at UNL he has had the opportu
nity to work with excellent leaders.
ASUN's work in keeping football
seats and treatment of incidents such
as suspended Assistant English
Professor David Eiibler's e-mail were
to be commended, he said.
“1 want to thank students' wisdom
for electing such leaders,” Moeser
said.
McLaughlin, who received the
Outstanding Educator Award, also
was appreciative of the work UNL
students did to get him rehired. In
appreciation, McLaughlin gave Ruwe
a pin that read, “Silence is the voice of
complicity." representing outspoken
action of ASUN and UNL students.
"You honor me, you honor your
university," McLaughlin said, “and
you honor yourselves."
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