A Wadsworth man who police said stabbed his cousin to death last year and then prepared to bury her in the backyard has been found mentally unfit to stand trial, according to court records and Lake County prosecutors.
Quintin V. Harvell was declared unfit following a recent hearing, according to court records.
Harvell, 28, was scheduled to be transferred to a secure mental health facility operated by the Illinois Department of Human Services. If he regains fitness after treatment, he will be transferred back to Lake County for further proceedings in his criminal case.
Harvell has been in custody since early last year, following his arrest for first-degree murder in the killing of Monica Green, 47. The cousins resided in a house in the 13100 block of West Shenandoah Trail in Wadsworth, police said.
Police were called to the residence at around 6:20 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2023, after a relative called authorities to say the relative had made plans to pick up Green for an appointment, but was unable to make contact with her. The relative spoke to Harvell, who said Green was not home.
The relative was concerned and called the police asking for a well-being check. Officers searched the property after meeting with Harvell and noticing he had what appeared to be blood on his arm. Green’s body was found in a wheelbarrow near the rear of the property, after police found blood inside the house and a shovel by an exterior door.
In cases where a defendant is declared unfit, the court will receive updates on his progress. Should he not regain fitness, an unfit defendant can be involuntarily committed for a period that does not exceed the maximum sentence for first-degree murder.