A man arrested in the death of a West Portsmouth woman has been found currently incompetent to stand trial.
Danny Vanhoose, 73, of West Portsmouth, was arrested on a charge of aggravated murder in the Thursday, Jan. 11, death of Shurvonn Byrd, 40, also of West Portsmouth.
Byrd was found “covered in blood” on the floor of Vanhoose’s John Street home. Her mother had been a friend of Vanhoose’s for about 30 years. According to information from the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office, the 911 call came in just before noon on Thursday, Jan. 11 from a woman reporting that she had found her daughter’s body.
The case against Vanhoose now includes: aggravated murder and two counts of murder, both first-degree felonies; and four counts of felonious assault, which is a second-degree felony.
Vanhoose had a competency hearing and arraignment Monday, April 1, in Scioto County Common Pleas Court before Judge Mark Kuhn. He was found currently incompetent at that hearing.
Scioto County Prosecutor Shane Tieman said the case will continue.
“We do anticipate that he will ultimately be restorable within the time required by law,” Tieman said. That time period is one year.
Vanhoose is currently being housed in a behavioral health facility.
Reach Lori McNelly at [email protected] or at (740) 353-3101 ext. 1928. © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved
