A defense lawyer for a 22-year-old Portland man charged with murder in his father’s death is concerned about his client’s mental competency and his ability to understand the case against him.
Abdallah Salim Al Siraj was arrested earlier in February after officers responded to a well-being check at a 37-unit apartment building in the West End and found his father’s body. Police have released no other details on the death of Salim Al Siraj, 50, and an affidavit with evidence in support of his son’s charges remains sealed.
Abdallah Salim Al Siraj Photo from Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office
Al Siraj has yet to appear in court. Defense attorney Robert Ruffner requested to delay the first hearing for the third time Thursday because he is still waiting for the State Forensic Service to finish an evaluation of Al Siraj’s competency to stand trial. He told Superior Court Justice Thomas McKeon he had “concerns about (his) client’s competency to proceed, even with this initial appearance.”
Assistant Attorney General Robert Ellis, who is prosecuting the case, had no objections to further delaying Al Siraj’s first appearance.
The new hearing date will depend on the results of the forensic evaluation, but for now Al Siraj is scheduled to appear before the court for the first time on April 11.
He is being held without bail in the Cumberland County Jail.
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