Unruly Mass. plane passenger deemed not competent to stand trial

Crime

Cellphone video captured by a fellow passenger shows Francisco Severo Torres ranting about a “blood bath” during the March flight to Boston.

A Leominster man accused of trying to open an emergency exit and stab a flight attendant onboard a United Airlines flight to Boston in March has been found not competent to stand trial. 

Francisco Severo Torres, 33, was arrested in connection with the March 5 incident and charged with interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon. He could face up to life in prison if convicted.

In a competency hearing held in federal court Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith G. Dein considered an evaluation from the Federal Medical Center, Devens, which concluded that Torres “does not understand the nature and consequences of the proceeding against him and is unable to assist in his defense,” according to a clerk’s docket entry. 

Torres’s public defender offered no arguments against the findings, telling the court, however, that Torres — who attended Wednesday’s hearing — personally objected and believed he was competent to stand trial.

Torres similarly objected when ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation in March. 

According to court documents, Torres allegedly told investigators that he tried to open the emergency door mid-flight to jump out of the plane, and that he “believed the flight attendant was trying to kill him, so he was trying to kill the flight attendant first.” 

Prosecutors allege that he tried to stab the flight attendant in the neck with a broken spoon. 

Cellphone video captured by a fellow passenger shows Torres ranting about a “blood bath” and saying he will “kill every man on this plane.” At another point, he proclaimed himself “Balthazar” and said his father called himself “Dracula.” 

Dein ultimately ruled that Torres is not competent to stand trial at this time and is in need of further treatment, according to the docket entry.