Barzey Found Mentally Incompetent in Murder Defense

ST. CLOUD -- A St. Cloud man accused of shooting and killing another man in Waite Park last December has been found incompetent to stand trial.

Twenty-one-year-old Desmond Barzey is charged with second-degree unintentional murder, five counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and being a felon in possession of a gun.

Five additional charges were filed against Barzey in April while being held in the Stearns County Jail. Four charges of making terroristic threats and one charge of assaulting a correction officer were filed after an incident at the jail.

Barzey then underwent a mental health examination in May. The examination findings mean criminal charges will be on hold while Barzey undergoes mental health treatment to restore his competency.

The murder case stems from an incident last December when Barzey allegedly entered Park Meadows apartments with a handgun and demanded everyone inside to get on the ground and empty their pockets. The victim, 19-year-old Bobby Williams of St. Cloud, threw a shirt at Barzey and began moving toward him when records show Barzey shot him in the chest and ran from the apartment.

Williams was taken to St. Cloud Hospital but died from his wounds.

Barzey was later found in North Dakota driving a stolen vehicle. After a short chase, he was arrested. Police searched the vehicle and found the handgun with a round inside the chamber.