Criminal proceedings for a Warrenton woman accused in the stabbing death of her mother have been suspended after experts determined her mentally unfit to stand trial.Marlene Wynn, 52, was arrested in September 2018 after being found with the body of Mildred Brune, 85, at their home on Cambridge Drive. In October, Associate Circuit Judge Richard Scheibe issued an order stating the court believed Wynn might have a mental illness that could render her unfit for trial. Scheibe ordered that Wynn undergo a psychological evaluation by the Missouri Department of Mental Health.The results of that evaluation were delivered to the court in April, according to court records.This month, Scheibe ordered that Wynn be committed to a state mental health facility, and that the criminal case against her be suspended while she undergoes treatment. Scheibe issued the orders July 11, with court records indicating Wynn will be transferred to the custody of the Department of Mental Health.The details of the commitment order and the mental evaluation are sealed records that are not available to the public. However, a document submitted by the state public defender representing Wynn indicates that she “lacks capacity to understand the proceedings against her or to assist in her own defense.”Public Defender Michael A. Sato requested that Judge Scheibe send Wynn for treatment, then review her case after a set period of time to determine if she is competent to stand trial.Missouri law states that if a person is found to be mentally unfit for trial, that person cannot be tried, convicted or sentenced for a crime for as long as that person’s mental “incapacity” endures. Instead, they are committed to a state mental health facility for treatment until they are found to be mentally fit.Wynn was quickly identified as a suspect in the killing of Brune after police were called to the scene on Sept. 17, 2018. Police said Brune had a large laceration to her throat and appeared to have suffered severe head trauma.

Marlene Wynn