Murder suspect to undergo mental evaluation

SANDPOINT — A judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation for a North Idaho man charged with first-degree murder. A public defender for 19-year-old Austin Blake Thrasher made the request last week, raising concerns he may be delusional and unable to understand the criminal proceedings against him, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported. Thrasher is among three Bonner County residents accused in the death of 19-year-old Michael Wyatt Smith. Thrasher’s wife, 22-year-old Jennifer Thrasher, and 19-year-old Christopher Garlin face accessory to murder charges. Detectives received a tip in January that a man was picked up on the pretense of attending a party, driven to the woods, then shot and buried. Smith’s body was found on private property near Hope. Authorities allege Thrasher killed Smith over a 16-year-old girl the two had both been seeing.