FORT DODGE, Iowa—A mental competency evaluation has been ordered for a man accused of beating to death a pastor outside a central Iowa church. A judge recently approved a request from the attorney for 36-year-old Joshua Pendleton. The attorney says his client has been acting irrationally.
Pendleton has pleaded not guilty in the Oct. 2 slaying of the Rev. Allen Henderson. Court records say Pendleton acknowledged to investigators that he fought with a man at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge. The 64-year-old Henderson was senior pastor at St. Paul and had served as a chaplain to area first responders.
This undated booking photo provided by the Webster County Jail in Fort Dodge, Iowa shows Joshua Pendleton. Pendleton has pleaded not guilty to allegations that he beat Rev. Allen Henderson to death outside a central Iowa church on Oct. 2, 2019. Webster County court records say Pendleton entered pleas Monday, Oct. 21 to charges of robbery and first-degree murder. His trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 10. (Webster County Jail via AP)
(contributed article and photo, Associated Press)
