Bronx man accused of fatally stabbing 14-year-old is found unfit for trial

The man accused of fatally stabbing a 14-year-old in an unprovoked attack in the Bronx was deemed psychologically unfit to stand trial on Wednesday, the man’s lawyer said.

Waldo Mejia, 29, pleaded not guilty to murder, manslaughter and weapons possession charges in connection with the January death of Caleb Rijos, who was on his way to school when he was stabbed twice, police and prosecutors say.

Mejia’s family pleaded with him and his mental health provider to have him committed to a hospital in hopes he would take his medication, according to his stepbrother. Mejia refused and the mental health provider was not permitted to commit him, the family said.

Calls to Mejia’s mental health provider were not immediately returned.

Mejia’s lawyer, Patrick Brackley, said he hasn’t decided whether he will contest the psychological evaluation that deemed Mejia unfit to stand trial.

“ We have a court appearance next week,” he said. “We are deciding what's in his best interests.”

Being found unfit to stand trial typically means a defendant will remain in a psychiatric hospital until he understands the court process enough to advocate for his defense, according to Douglas Stern, a lawyer who specializes in mental health cases.

“I've been involved in cases where the prosecution is suspended for a decade or more,” he said. “If after 10 years, they've restored their competence, then you go back to trial.”

Mejia was referred to mental health treatment as a condition of release for a 2019 arson charge. His family had said his mental health was stable for several years.

A few months before Rijos' death, Mejia was arrested for allegedly stabbing a neighbor's doorbell camera. The charge was not eligible for bail and Mejia was released on his own recognizance.