VANCOUVER, Wash. — A Superior Court judge has granted a request for a mental evaluation of a Vancouver, Wash., woman who splashed acid on her face in a bizarre hoax. Both the prosecution and defense joined in the request, designed to determine whether Bethany Storro could form criminal intent when she accepted donations after falsely claiming to be the victim of an attack.
The 28-year-old woman originally claimed that an unknown black woman threw acid in her face last Aug. 30. She later admitted her injuries were self-inflicted.
Storro has pleaded not guilty to three theft counts.
Defense lawyer Andrew Wheeler told the Columbian on Monday that he’s mainly looking at whether Storro suffered from diminished capacity, but he adds the Western State Hospital evaluation will be broad.
Wheeler says she will be evaluated at the hospital near Tacoma on a day sometime before her March 9 trial date.
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