The trial of a Hampton woman accused of killing her 2-year-old son has been moved while she undergoes a mental competency evaluation.
Julia Tomlin, 35, is charged with second-degree murder, concealing a dead body, child abuse and three counts of child neglect.
Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney Anton Bell said Tomlin’s defense attorney suggested she undergo a mental health examination since they felt her mental health was declining.
“And by law, she is entitled to an evaluation,” Bell said.
According to the case information, the request was made on Feb. 24, two weeks before her March 9 jury trial.
The trial has been rescheduled for May 20, but that can change.
“It’s always tentative,” Bell said. “You don’t know what’s going to the be in the report.”
Bell said if she’s competent, they can set the court date.
“These are routine mental competency evaluations,” he said. “It’s nothing fanfare about it.”
What happened
Tomlin’s son, Noah, was last seen on June 24 at their home in Buckroe Beach. Local, state and federal law enforcement, including the FBI, used search teams, drone surveillance, dogs and even stopped trash collection, sorting through approximately 2 million pounds of garbage.
A few days into the search, Tomlin was charged with three counts of felony child neglect.
Noah’s body was found at the Hampton/NASA Steam Plant on July 3 and authorities confirmed it was indeed the boy’s remains less than two weeks later.
On Oct. 31, Bell released the autopsy results which concluded the toddler died of blunt force trauma to the head and battered child syndrome. He charged Tomlin with second-degree murder and unlawful disposal of a dead body.
During a news conference, Bell noted the toddler’s body was found in an advanced state of decomposition ––the only thing recognizable was the liver and his left leg–––so an anthropologist was tasked with piecing together the bone fragments of Noah’s skeleton.
The autopsy report also showed Noah had previous injuries, including jaw, rib, tibia and radius fractures, which stunted his growth, Bell said.
