An expert witness in a competency hearing Wednesday questioned the way competency is determined through courts, citing the changing nature of mental health symptoms.

"It's like a useless exercise," psychologist Susan Coykendall said.

At issue is the competency of Shenting Guo, 33, who is charged with second degree murder after being arrested and accused of stabbing her boyfriend, 38-year-old Dustin Nalls, to death in May 2024 and cutting off his penis.

Coykendall evaluated Guo's competency in late July at the Mesa County Jail and said Guo was not competent to proceed. She said Guo's mental state could very well have changed in the nine weeks since the evaluation.

Coykendall said she could not give a proper answer as to Guo's current mental state, but at the time of the evaluation at th

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