Lawyers: Man seems mentally competent

MIAMI (AP) -- The new attorney for convicted child-killer Lionel Tate said Friday he expects his client will be found mentally competent for hearings on whether his probation should be revoked because of the alleged robbery of a pizza delivery man.
The lawyer, Ellis Rubin, said he interviewed Tate three times and the teenager appeared to understand the court proceedings and their consequences.
Rubin took over Tate's defense this week at the request of Tate's mother and aunt.
Tate, once the youngest person in modern U.S. history sentenced to life in prison, is on probation for the 1999 killing of 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick when he was 12. An appeals court threw out his conviction after determining he might not have understood what was happening. Tate then pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was given 10 years' probation.
Now 18, Tate is accused of violating his probation for allegedly robbing a pizza delivery man at gunpoint, an offense that could send him to prison for life.
The competency hearing is now set for Dec. 19. It could be at least January before a judge considers whether Tate violated his probation.