NATCHEZ — A man awaiting trial for murder and armed robbery has been remanded to the custody of the state hospital at Whitfield after being found incompetent to stand trial.

Kenneth James Carver Jr., 22, has been waiting trial for the Jan. 3, 2013, robbery turned murder of Tyrone Bernard, who police said was ambushed as he was closing DD’s Package Store at approximately 10 p.m. that night.

Bernard was shot when he tried to fight the four people who rushed him outside the store. He tried to leave the scene in his vehicle but died shortly after, the vehicle crashing approximately 40 feet away.

While two others were initially charged by police, Carver was the only suspect an Adams County grand jury returned an indictment against in November 2013.

He was initially set to go to trial in August 2014, but the trial was delayed after his attorney said Carver had an IQ of approximately 70 and was confused about the legal proceedings against him.

A later report by clinical and forensic psychologist R.M. Storer concluded that, “to a reasonable degree of psychological certainty that at the time of my evaluation of him, Mr. Carver had significant deficits in his ability to consult with his attorney with a reasonable degree of rational understanding in preparation of his defense.”

Carver was transferred to Whitfield Tuesday morning. The judicial order — signed by Sixth District Circuit Court Judge Forrest “Al” Johnson in September, requires for Carver to be evaluated every four months.

District Attorney Ronnie Harper said this means the case is at a standstill for the time being.

“You can’t try someone if there is a determination that they are not competent to stand trial,” he said. “If at some point in time they determine he is competent, they will transfer him back.

“The judges have the authority to require them to continue to treat him and try to make some kind of headway, but they can’t release him without the judge having some kind of input in that.”