Woman charged in slayings found fit for trial

A former Nassau correction officer facing murder charges in the June shootings of her ex-girlfriend and uncle has been found psychologically fit to proceed to trial, lawyers in the case said Wednesday.

Nassau County Judge David Ayres said in court that pretrial hearings in the case of Kim Wolfe, 43, of North Babylon, could begin as soon as next month.

Wolfe still could seek an insanity plea, lawyers in the case said.

The fact that two psychiatrists found her competent to assist in her own defense is different from finding that she knew right from wrong at the time of the fatal June 16 killings, lawyers said.

Wolfe has pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Her lawyer, Michael DerGarabedian, of Rockville Centre, said he will ask Ayres to have Wolfe further evaluated to see if she can qualify for a plea of not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect.

"Do we treat mentally ill people like common criminals, or humanely approach the issue and treat them as sick patients badly in need of our help?" DerGarabedian said.

Wolfe has been in and out of the psychiatric center at Elmhurst Hospital Center, in Queens, while being held at Rikers Island.

Police said Wolfe fatally shot Stacie Williams, a longtime nurse's aide in Nassau University Medical Center's labor and delivery suite, as they stood outside the East Meadow hospital early on June 16.

Afterward, Wolfe went to her family's Hempstead home, where she fatally shot her uncle, Marshall Williams Jr., 56, and wounded her grandfather, Marshall Williams, 88, according to police. Stacie Williams was not related to them. Wolfe then took hostage her niece, Mary Josey, 23, driving for several hours before surrendering to Nassau police, officials said.