Competency trial begins for suspect in Seattle's Central District murder

SEATTLE - A competency trial is underway for the man accused of shooting and killing a business owner in Seattle's Central District, a murder that shocked the neighborhood in 2022.

Ashton Lefall is accused of the Oct. 19, 2022, shooting death of D’Vonne Pickett Jr. outside Pickett’s mail service business, "The Postman."

The backstory:

Pickett Jr. was the co-founder of The Postman, committed to bringing shoppers to Seattle's historically Black neighborhood. He was also a father, husband, youth coach and a star athlete at Seattle University.

Lefall is accused of gunning down Pickett Jr. outside of The Postman. The business closed down for good in 2025.

What they're saying:

Lefall has been described as a former friend, but he had allegedly been harassing the family for years. Now, his defense team argues he is not competent to stand trial.

In court, Lefall's defense argued when the shooting happened, Lefall had undiagnosed schizophrenia. They also discussed some of the conversations they've shared with him.

"God's robots, that's what Mr. Lefall thinks his attorneys are. He thinks that we are zombies, he thinks that once he completes this fake test that God has made for him, he gets to heaven, he gets to another spiritual realm. These are the discussions that council has had with Mr. Lefall over a year and a half," stated Lefall's defense attorneys.

The other side:

However, the prosecution pointed to some of the phone calls he made to his mother after his arrest.

 "He's going to Western State Hospital to be evaluated for competency and he says, 'And they're going to evaluate me, and I'm going to tell them the same thing I told the other psychiatrist when they asked me what a judge and prosecutor is. I'm going to tell them they don't exist,'" said Senior Deputy Prosecutor John Castleton. "You can have schizophrenia and still be competent. You can have mental illness and still lie."

Prosecutors say Lefall was linked to three shootings in total, including a shooting that killed another woman days before Pickett's murder.

A competency trial is not common. Typically, a judge issues a decision after weighing the evidence. But in this case, Judge Melinda Young wanted more information and called for a trial to determine whether Ledall should stand trial in the case of Pickett's death.

What's next:

A final decision is expected by May 7 at the earliest, with the trial lasting days.

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