Thank you for reading Baltimore Witness.
Consider making a donation to help us continue our mission.
By
Jasmine Milbourne [former]
- July 31, 2025
Court
|
Daily Stories
|
Homicides
|
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gale E. Rasin told stand-in defense attorney Sharon Boggins on July 30 that the mental competency evaluation of Ajay Wiggins, 26, was “unacceptable” after finding out it was done in jail.
Wiggins is charged with one count of first-degree murder.
In January, Wiggins had his first mental competency evaluation and Judge Rasin ruled he was incompetent to stand trial, and a danger to himself and others. In order to stand trial a suspect must understand the charges against him and help his lawyer defend the case.
Judge Rasin ordered a sixth month follow up evaluation that was supposed to be done in a hospital. Wiggins will be moved to in patient care pending further evaluation.
According to charging documents, on Nov. 15, 2024, officers responded to a 911 call on the 1600 block of Druid Hill Avenue. They found 64-year-old Joyce Gaskins unconscious and not breathing between the bed and the wall of her room. Her son, Wiggins, was unresponsive to officers’ requests.
Upon investigation from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Gaskins had dry, undissolved pills in her mouth. The examiner also noted dark bruising on her neck and visible evidence of hemorrhaging in both eyes.
Officers asked what happened to Gaskins to which Wiggins wrote “666” on a piece of paper. The number has been associated with evil.
When searching Wiggins, they allegedly found two pill bottles that had been prescribed to Gaskins in his pocket.
A neighbor, who had called emergency services, told detectives that they had not seen or heard from Gaskins in three or four days. On the day of the incident, Wiggins was allegedly in the backseat of his neighbor’s car asking to go somewhere. When the neighbor told Wiggins to ask his mother, they both entered the residence where they found Gaskins.
The neighbor ran out of the residence to call 911.
During the initial psychiatric evaluation, security personnel and a nurse reported that Wiggins had allegedly told them he “had a secret.” He admitted to putting the pills in Gaskin’s mouth to look like an overdose after choking her.