PARIS, Ark. (AP) – A psychologist’s evaluation says a man accused of killing a toddler then blowing up a house was mentally competent at the time.Ricky Carter is accused in the death of his girlfriend’s son, 2-year-old Ryatt Reese. The boy was found dead last December after an explosion in Paris, Arkansas, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock.
A medical examiner says the toddler died from head and abdomen injuries. Carter was charged with arson and first-degree murder in the case.
According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette , court records say Carter told a psychologist last month that the boy hit his head on the floor. The report says Carter told the psychologist he turned on the gas in the home then later lit a cigarette as a suicide attempt.
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