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Suspect's Lawyer Seeks Mental Exam In 1993 Case

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Sep 11, 2009 12:52 pm US/Central

Suspect's Lawyer Seeks Mental Exam In 1993 Case

(AP) The attorney for a man charged with strangling a Moorhead woman in 1993 says he will seek a psychiatric exam for his client.

Clarence Burcham of Center, N.D., is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Sharon Stafford, who was found dead in a Moorhead mobile home park 16 years ago.

Tracy Eichhorn-Hicks is a Minneapolis-area attorney for the 44-year-old Burcham. He said his client is "limited in his ability to understand things."

Court documents say Burcham told police he killed the 26-year-old Stafford after she called him retarded. Eichhorn-Hicks said Burcham may not have understood his own confession. He said Burcham "swears he didn't do it."

Clay County Attorney Brian Melton has asked for an evaluation to determine Burcham's mental capacity at the time of the killing.

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Forty-four-year-old Clarence Burcham of Center was arrested in June.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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