Doctor: Duncan mentally fit for trial

INDIO – In the years leading up to the arrest of Joseph Duncan, he battled with the dichotomy of good and evil and lashed out violently after suffering through life, a psychologist testified today. But despite how unusual and deeply rooted his beliefs may be, he does not have a mental illness and would be competent to stand trial for the 1997 slaying of a 10-year-old Beaumont, Calif., boy, Dr. Patricia Kirkish said. An Indio jury is now hearing testimony on Duncan’s mental competency to determine if he can understand his trial, assist his attorneys and potentially represent himself in his own defense. Duncan is not attending the trial and has claimed he is competent.