Judge cuts current scope of sanity commission

THIBODAUX, LA (AP) - A state district judge has decided that psychiatrists won't yet consider whether a 30-year-old Thibodaux man was sane when he allegedly beheaded his disabled 7-year-old son.

Judge John LeBlanc says that for now, the sanity commission must decide whether Jeremiah Wright can help his lawyers defend him against the first-degree murder charge in the death of Jori Lirette (lih-RET').

That reverses an earlier decision to let two court-appointed psychiatrists and one working for the district attorney's office also consider Wright's sanity on Aug. 14, when Jori was killed. Defense attorney Kerry Cuccia (KOO'-chuh) says LeBlanc's order did not give reasons for the change.

All psychiatrists' reports are due Oct. 10, but Cuccia says they probably won't be made public until after a hearing at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 17.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)