Judge Signs New Commitment Order for Defendant Accused of First-Degree Murder

By Hannah Rainer [former] - September 27, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

During mental health court, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gale E. Rasin signed a new commitment order concurring with the most recent mental evaluation of a murder defendant.

Ronald Alston is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery in relation to an incident on Feb. 8, 2020. 

On Sept. 27, stand-in attorney Sharon Bogins Eberhart was in court to represent 36-year-old Alston. When Judge Rasin brought up his most recent mental evaluation, Alston stated that he was better and that the evaluator said there was improvement over the first test.

According to Baltimore Witness, Alston had previously been found incompetent to stand trial. Since September 2022, he has been committed to Clifton T. Perkins Hospital, a maximum-security psychiatric hospital in Howard County. His most recent evaluation incidated he was still incompetent to stand trial.

Judge Rasin said the evaluator still found that Alston was a danger to himself and society. Additionally, he displayed threatening behavior while in care, having two physical outbursts in August alone. 

With his history of violence and substance abuse, the evaluator stated that Alston remains dangerous and incompetent to stand trial. On that basis, Judge Rasin signed a new commitment order and said Alston would be subject to a six-month review or another annual review, but she did not specify which timeframe.