WINTER PARK, Fla. — A man accused of killing a Winter Park caretaker is mentally competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Wednesday.
- Judge rules Scott Nelson competent to stand trial
- He is accused of killing Jennifer Fulford in 2017
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Scott Nelson is accused of killing Jennifer Fulford, whose body was found three days after she went missing in September 2017.
State and defense attorneys both called mental competency experts to the stand.
The defense’s expert witness testified Nelson wasn’t competent to stand trial, but the judge agreed with the state’s witness, who concluded Nelson was mentally competent.
Nelson faces charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, burglary, carjacking, and more in the death of 56-year-old Fulford of Altamonte Springs.
Her body was found three days after her September 27, 2017 disappearance in a wooded area off Apopka-Vineland Road in Orange County. Nelson was taken into custody in Jacksonville October 1, 2017.
The Orange County Medical Examiner concluded Fulford died from stab wounds and asphyxiation.
Fulford’s sister says she agrees with the judge’s ruling. Fulford’s brother-in-law says the family is now looking for ways to honor her memory.
Nelson faces trial later this year, where the death penalty is a possible punishment if he’s convicted.