October competency hearing set for man accused of killing couple

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) _ A competency hearing is October 5th for a man accused of killing an elderly Cherokee County couple. <br/><br/>The hearing is to determine if <b><a class="headlinelink" href="http://www.kotv.com/main/home/searchKOTV.asp?mainSearch=Johnny

Tuesday, August 16th 2005, 11:02 am

By: News On 6

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) _ A competency hearing is October 5th for a man accused of killing an elderly Cherokee County couple.

The hearing is to determine if Johnny Potts is mentally competent to stand trial for the shooting deaths of 74-year-old William Ryals and 65-year-old Elsie Ryals.

Potts' aunt testified at a hearing yesterday that Potts was taken off anti-psychotic medication days before the Ryals' were killed while feeding animals on land they owned near Tahlequah. At the time of the shooting Potts was living with his aunt next door to the property owned by the Ryals.