Woman accused of Harahan girl’s murder in 2023 deemed competent to stand trial
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
JEFFERSON PARISH, La. (WGNO) — The woman accused of the murder of 6-year-old Bella Fontenelle in Harahan in April 2023 has been deemed competent to stand trial.
The ruling comes on the second day of Bunnak Landon’s mental competency hearing.
Landon is facing charges of first-degree murder and obstruction of justice after allegedly killing Fontenelle, her boyfriend’s daughter, and leaving her body inside a bucket outside the home of the victim’s mother.
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Fontenelle’s cause of death was listed as “manual strangulation along with blunt force injuries to the head.”
Back in May, two expert witnesses, who are a part of the competency panel, Dr. Roberts and Dr. Boudreaux, testified and reported they met with Landon and described her demeanor as being “overly happy,” with Roberts noting she was “flirty” toward him at one point.
During the court proceedings, the competency panel also noted that Landon fully understood her charges but was unable to assist her attorney or testify, stating she was “verbose” as she would often go off-topic.
Additionally, Landon was able to describe to the court the events leading up to the crime but not the murder itself, according to the panel report.
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She was ultimately deemed incompetent to stand trial, and she was sent to Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System for evaluation and diagnosis.
At a hearing on July 31, Landon’s attorney asked for a continuance due to the fact that doctors have been unable to properly evaluate her. The judge denied that request, saying the defense had received enough time.
Competency experts testified that Landon is able to stand trial after previously testifying that she was not.
However, the defense argued the stress of the trial could be too much for Landon. WGNO asked WGNO legal analyst Cliff Cardone to weigh in on the case.
“Any individual who is going to trial for first-degree murder is going to be under stress. The question here is, is the person competent to stand trial? Can that person assist the council in a meaningful way? Can the person understand the charges against him or her in this case? Can the person understand the nature of the proceeding and can that person cooperate with her attorney,” said Cardone.
On Thursday, Aug. 1, Landon’s attorney, Paul Flemming argued their expert has not evaluated Landon.
A psychiatrist via zoom, testified that Landon is routinely checked by a counselor at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. He also stated that Landon has declined to take her medication twice.
Following the testimony, Judge Nancy Miller ruled Landon is fit to stand trial.
Flemming objected to the ruling immediately, but later stated he was not surprised by the decision.
Landon faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted.
Court is set to begin on Aug. 23 at 10 a.m.
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