The man accused of killing former Augusta philanthropist Robert Fuller Jr. at a Maryland senior living facility is not competent to stand trial, a judge ruled earlier this month.

Maurquise James, 22, a medical technician at Cogir Senior Living USA facility in Potomac, Maryland, where Fuller was living when he was killed, is charged with murder in Fuller’s death.

Earlier this month, Karla N. Smith, a circuit court judge in Montgomery County, Maryland, found James was not competent to stand trial, based on a mental health examination. James is scheduled for another evaluation in November, , Maryland court records state.

Fuller was found deceased, apparently shot in the head, Feb. 14 in his bedroom at the assisted living facility.

Ten days after the killing, a Maryland state trooper stopped a vehicle driven by James, who shot twice at the trooper, according to reports. Ballistic tests showed the gun was the one used to kill Fuller. James was arrested and charged with the trooper’s attempted murder.

James is charged with murder for Fuller’s death, and with attempted murder and gun charges in relation to the incident involving the Maryland state trooper.

Fuller’s longtime friend and partner Linda Buttrick, with whom he lived, has filed a civil lawsuit against James and Cogir Senior Living Facility USA facility where they lived together. She alleges the facility’s owners ignored warnings from staff that James was dangerous and allowed him to continue to dispense medications to Buttrick after she identified him as a suspect in Fuller’s death.

The lawsuit, filed by Michael J. Belsky of SBWD Law of Baltimore, claims Fuller’s killing “was entirely preventable” and happened because the firm acted in gross negligence and/or with malice and chose to ignore the danger James presented.

Belsky said Tuesday that lawsuit would continue to move forward, although that would likely follow resolution of the criminal case.

Belsky said the finding of James “being not competent, only lends support to the claims we have against Cogir,” for hiring and keeping him employed as a caregiver.

A spokesperson for the company has said the safety and well-being of its residents is its highest priority and it takes concerns raised by staff, residents and residents’ families seriously.

Cogir refused to investigate James, of White Marsh, Maryland, whose mother was a senior director at the company, the lawsuit claims, alleging she and the company used her position of authority to suppress complaints about James and reprimanded employees who reported his troubling behaviors.

It says both Fuller and Buttrick suffered from Parkinson’s disease. The evening before Fuller was killed, James administered medications to them. He spoon-fed medication in applesauce to Buttrick, returning shortly thereafter to ask her if her medication had kicked in.

Buttrick said the follow-up visit was unusual. She rarely sleeps through the night yet has no memory of hearing a gunshot and believes James overmedicated her, the suit states. She was sleeping in an adjacent bedroom and a caregiver who entered the apartment shortly after 7 a.m. discovered Fuller, whose pillowcases and sheets were covered in blood.

Emergency workers initiated life-saving measures but he was pronounced dead at the scene, the Montgomery County Department of Police said.

Buttrick reported James’ unusual behavior the previous evening and identified him as the suspect. She and Cogir employees recognized him in surveillance footage released by police as the person who entered a door to the facility near the couple’s apartment early Feb. 14.

Fuller, 87, and his late wife, Moira, had lived in Winthrop and had a history of contributing to numerous causes in the area, including Cony High School, MaineGeneral Medical Center, Kennebec Valley YMCA, Lithgow Public Library, Bailey Public Library in Winthrop, and Kennebec Historical Society.

In 2021 Fuller donated $1.64 million to help build a new artificial turf athletic field at Alumni Field at Cony High School, since renamed Fuller Field in his honor.