YOUNGSTOWN — The report from Dr. Robert Stinson of Columbus on whether aggravated murder defendant Jabrae L. Perry qualifies as having had serious mental illness when he allegedly killed his girlfriend and her son has been provided to the court.

Perry, 47, was in court Tuesday to hear Judge John Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court say that even though the report is complete, neither he nor the prosecution has had time to review Dr. Stinson’s 34-page report.

So the judge ordered another hearing for 11:30 a.m. June 13. At that time, prosecutors can “determine whether or not they wish to contest the opinion of Dr. Stinson,” Durkin said.

After that, the judge will decide “whether or not Mr. Perry does have a serious mental illness, which would make him ineligible for the death penalty,” Durkin said.

As of now, he is indicted on death-penalty-related charges.

The Serious Mental Illness statute was created in 2021. It prevents convicts from being executed if they had serious mental illness at the time of the alleged offenses. Stinson is a certified forensic psychologist and attorney, according to a biography on his company’s website.

Perry is accused of killing Ayanna Mills, 49, and her son, Brandon Bell, 28. Police said Perry is accused of killing Bell to escape detection after killing Mills, who was his girlfriend.

The defense first asked for Perry to be evaluated for Serious Mental Illness determination in early 2023. Before that, he was evaluated to determine whether he was competent to stand trial, meaning capable of understanding the nature and objectives of the proceedings against him. He was determined to be competent.

Under a Serious Mental Illness determination, a person must prove that the illness “significantly impaired the person’s capacity to exercise rational judgment” regarding “conformity to the law or appreciating the nature, consequences, or wrongfulness of the person’s conduct,” according to a defense filing.

Part of the delay in getting the Serious Mental Illness evaluation done was the time it took to get reports from three earlier competency evaluations turned over to Stinson.

Both victims suffered a single gunshot wound to the head. The shootings may have happened as much as 12 hours apart, prosecutors said. Bell was checking on his mother because she had not shown up for work that day, said Mike Yacovone, then county assistant prosecutor.

The victims were found shot in a home in the 1200 block of Salt Springs Road. Mills was dead at the scene. Bell was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where he later died.

In addition to the two murder charges, Perry was indicted on being a felon in possession of a firearm, tampering with evidence and grand theft of a motor vehicle.

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