Woman Charged with Vehicular Manslaughter Found Incompetent for Trial

By Andrew Michaels - August 25, 2021
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Victims |

A 29-year-old woman who crashed into a vehicle and killed the driver during a car chase with police last year was ruled incompetent to stand trial before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gale E. Rasin on Aug. 25 during Mental Health Court.

Judge Rasin reviewed the competency evaluation of Delisa Ann Dello-Stritto, who is facing manslaughter charges in connection to the death of 28-year-old Darius Gore on March 21, 2020. Dello-Stritto allegedly crashed a stolen vehicle into Gore’s vehicle at the intersection of Liberty Heights and Callaway avenues.

According to the Baltimore Sun, a police officer was alerted of a stolen 2014 Ford Fusion from Pennsylvania that was found using GPS at a gas station on West Patapsco Avenue in March 2020. Additional officers arrived and attempted to box in the vehicle; however, Dello-Stritto then put the vehicle in reverse and hit a police vehicle while driving out of the gas station.

A car chase ensured, the Baltimore Sun reported, and Dello-Stritto later struck two cars, including Gore’s, as he was driving through his neighborhood to take a 54-year-old man to work at Sinai Hospital.

Another Baltimore Sun article reported that Gore suffered broken bones and went into a coma after the crash, while the passenger survived. Gore died less than a month later after going into cardiac arrest.

In April 2020, Dello-Stritto was facing charges of second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, unauthorized removal of property, and theft between $1,000 and $25,000. However, as of Aug. 25, the Maryland Judiciary website states that Dello-Stritto is charged with manslaughter by vehicle, criminally-negligent manslaughter by vehicle, second-degree assault, theft between $10,000 and $100,000, car theft, and four traffic violations.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, the prosecution and defense attorney Sharon Bogins Eberhart—standing in for Judit Otvos—told the court that Gore’s parents and the passenger from the crash were on the call.

Following the incident, Judge Rasin explained, Dello-Stritto was evaluated at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center, a maximum security psychiatric hospital in Maryland for those involved in the criminal justice system. She also said that if the court receives a doctor’s report that states an individual is incompetent, it can be contested.

“But in this instance, the defendant was, according to this report, clearly incompetent,” Judge Rasin said. “The doctor said she suffers from the mental illness of schizophrenia and that her symptoms have improved over time because she’s taking medication. She’s less paranoid and she’s not expressing a delusional belief.”

The judge defined a delusional belief as “a false belief,” providing the example of an individual who believes earth is being invaded by aliens.

“Dello-Stritto’s condition is expected to improve with ongoing treatment, mostly as a result of medications, which do reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia,” Judge Rasin said. “The doctor said she is restorable, meaning she is capable of becoming competent.”

Dello-Stritto’s case is scheduled to return to Mental Health Court on March 2, 2022, in courtroom 451 in the Mitchell Courthouse.