POUGHKEEPSIE – Three psychologists testified at the competency hearing of accused killer Paul Senecal in Dutchess County Court on Tuesday. Senecal, 38, is accused of killing Melanie Chianese in Wappinger on May 29, 2022.
The hearing, conducted before Dutchess County Court Judge Edward McLoughlin featured testimony from Dr. Zoe Berko, Dr. Martha Agresta, and Dr. Lawrence Siegal.
Doctors Berko and Agresta indicated that their original evaluations of Senecal found him to be unfit to stand trial. After being made aware of certain behavior exhibited by Senecal while at the Dutchess County Jail, the two are said to be re-evaluating their original assessments.
Dr. Siegal, an expert witness testifying on behalf of the prosecution, indicated that he believes Senecal knew what he was doing when he killed Chianese and he is competent enough to participate and assist in his defense. The law requires that a defendant have the ability to understand the charges against them and be able to assist their attorney in defense of the charges.
The hearing did not conclude on Tuesday. Judge McLoughlin ordered the parties back to his court on November 14 for a conference to determine if additional testimony is needed before a competency decision can be rendered. If additional testimony is required, a hearing date will be selected on November 14.
