GRANITE FALLS - The man accused of shooting a Montevideo man multiple times and leaving him alongside a roadway in July near Granite Falls asked Wednesday for a mental evaluation that will determine if he is competent to participate in court hearings.
Devin Donald Hexum, 21, of Balaton, appeared for a hearing Wednesday in Yellow Medicine County District Court and requested the mental evaluation, Yellow Medicine County Assistant Attorney Stacy Vinberg said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon.
If the request is approved by Judge Thomas Van Hon, Devin Hexum will be evaluated by a psychologist, who will diagnose any mental illnesses and determine if Hexum has the capacity to understand proceedings and participate in his defense.
Devin Hexum faces felony charges of second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault for allegedly firing a handgun multiple times into the abdomen and chest area of Daniel Lee Scheff, 30, of Montevideo.
According to Vinberg, the defense has also filed correspondence stating Devin Hexum will challenge the probable cause of his charges and other elements of his case.
His brother, Derek Hexum, 19, also of Balaton, is an alleged accomplice in the case and faces a felony charge of aiding an offender to avoid arrest. He waived his right last week to challenge his charge on the basis of probable cause and will make his next court appearance Nov. 10.
Both brothers remain in the Yellow Medicine County Jail in Granite Falls. Bail remains at $1 million for Devin Hexum and $100,000 for Derek Hexum.
The criminal complaint alleges that Yellow Medicine County dispatch received a report of someone covered in blood lying in the intersection of State Highway 23 and Highway 274 near Granite Falls. Sheriff’s deputies arrived and the man reported that he had been shot multiple times.
He was identified as Scheff and later airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis with life-threatening injuries.
Scheff later told officers in an interview at the hospital that he was picked up in Granite Falls by two males in a pickup. As they were driving south on Highway 23, the truck apparently experience mechanical problems and stopped on the shoulder of the road.
Scheff got out of the pickup with one of the men, later identified as Devin Hexum, while Derek Hexum remained in the vehicle. Scheff reported that Devin Hexum then asked him where his money was and began shooting him multiple times.
Devin Hexum then got into the pickup with his brother and drove away, later to be apprehended after a high-speed chase later that week.
