Criminal proceedings against a man accused of fatally cutting the throat of a co-worker at a Prestage Farms pork plant in Eagle Grove, Iowa, could end nearly a year after the fatality occurred.
The suspect, Lukouxs Brown, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Wayne Smith, who was found dead in an employee locker room at the plant on February 16, 2021.
But two months after that alleged incident, Wright County Judge Gregg Rosenbladt ruled that Brown suffered from a mental disorder that prevented him from understanding the charges against him, the court proceedings or being able to assist in his own defense. Brown was sent to the Iowa Medical Classification Center in Coralville in an effort to restore his competency to stand trial.
The Messenger reported that Brown had, according to his attorney, “exhibited an abnormal thought process,” and “appeared to respond to outside stimuli that were not present in reality.”
And after months of inpatient treatment and restoration attempts, a treating psychiatrist filed a report On January 31 that stated Brown is still not competent to stand trial and that he “is not a candidate for continued restoration.”
A motion was filed in court to terminate his restoration commitment order, and the motion further stated that if the court doesn’t approve the motion, that the state may initiate civil commitment proceedings, as Brown “remains a danger to others and will require 24/7 supervision. A related hearing is scheduled for late this week.
Prestage Farms announced its plans to build the pork plant in Eagle Grove in 2016 and it began production in 2019.
In addition to being a major pork producer, Prestage Farms is also the 16th largest turkey producer in the United States. According to the WATTPoultry.com Top Companies Database, Prestage Farms slaughtered 140 million pounds of live turkeys in 2020.
