CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) – A man accused of throwing his 5-year-old daughter off a Tampa Bay area bridge has been found competent to stand trial on Friday morning.
The court made the decision after reviewing a state mental evaluation that concluded John Jonchuck, 27 was mentally capable of understanding the first degree murder charges he faces.
Authorities say that in January 2015, Jonchuck stopped his car on the bridge, grabbed his 5-year-old daughter Phoebe from the back of his vehicle and dropped her off the edge of the bridge.
He faces charges for murder, aggravated fleeing and eluding and aggravated assault with a motor vehicle on a law enforcement officer.