Defense Attorney Requests Competency Hearing For OKC Bombing Plot Suspect

The defense attorney for the suspect accused of plotting to bomb a bank in downtown Oklahoma City has requested a competency hearing, Thursday afternoon.

The FBI arrested Jerry Drake Varnell, 23, after he allegedly tried to detonate what he thought was a bomb outside of the BancFirst in downtown OKC.

He allegedly wanted to replicate the 1995 Oklahoma City Murrah Building bombing and was acting out of a hatred for the government.

Since then, Varnell’s family and friends have released statements saying he suffers from schizophrenia and he needs help.

Thursday afternoon, Varnell’s defense attorney filed a motion for a hearing to determine whether he is competent to stand trial due to his long history of paranoid schizophrenia. And he has also been hospitalized several times since he was 16-years-old.