Man Charged With Killing Nia Wilson on Oakland BART Platform Declared Fit for Trial

An Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that the man charged with killing 18-year-old Nia Wilson at the MacArthur BART Station last July is competent to stand trial.

Prosecutors say John Lee Cowell fatally stabbed Wilson and wounded her sister, Lahtifa, 26, in an unprovoked attack on July 22, 2018. Cowell faces charges of murder and attempted murder.

Judge James Cramer suspended criminal proceedings last December after Cowell's public defender raised questions about whether her client was able to assist in his own case.

Cramer subsequently appointed a series of psychiatrists to examine Cowell and determine his competency.

One doctor found Cowell incompetent and a second was unable to come to a conclusion. But a third psychiatrist, Dr. Jason Roof of UC Davis, reported to the court Cowell was fit to stand trial.

Cramer said he made his ruling Wednesday on the strength of that third examination. The judge canceled a proceeding to weigh the defendant's competency, and Cowell is now expected to enter a plea on Aug. 2.

Members of Wilson's family and leaders of the African American community in Oakland had called on prosecutors to charge Cowell, who is white, with a hate crime. Nia Wilson was black.

According to the prosecution's statement of probable cause, MacArthur BART surveillance video showed Cowell approaching Wilson and her sister from behind, stabbing them and then running away. He ditched his sweatshirt and backpack in the station parking lot, along with several items identifying him by name and date of birth, prosecutors say.

The next day, police named Cowell as the man they believed had attacked the Wilson sisters. He was arrested hours later at BART's Pleasant Hill Station when a passenger alerted police that the murder suspect was riding an Antioch-bound train.