Fitzgerald HS stabbing suspect ordered to competency hearing

WARREN, Mich. (WJBK) - A court hearing on Thursday for a 17-year-old Warren girl accused of killing a classmate in school turned emotional as she was ordered to undergo a competency exam.

The exam will determine if she understands the murder charge and can assist her lawyer and is common in homicide cases. Police say Tanaya Lewis stabbed 16-year-old Danyna Gibson in a classroom at Warren Fitzgerald High School on Sept. 12.

Lewis answered a few questions Thursday from Judge Matthew Sabaugh but otherwise didn't say much in court. She's being held in jail.

Police say Lewis was laughing as she chased Gibson and stabbed her in the chest and back in a dispute over a boy. 

Witnesses: suspect in Fitzgerald HS classroom murder was 'smiling and laughing'

Dozens of students in the class witnessed the murder inside the school which police said was brought on when Lewis became jealous after a boy she was dating broke up with her, so he could date Gibson.

Police revealed that Gibson had been stabbed four times, including one to the heart and lung. The witnesses said Lewis stabbed her twice and then chased her down and stabbed her two more times in the back.

Police: Fitzgerald High School student stabbed to death over love triangle

During Thursday's hearing, tensions boiled over, especially from Gibson's family.

"This was I'm getting up in the morning, I'm going to school, and I'm gonna kill that girl, that's what this was," said Gibson's Aunt Vee. "They're trying to do insanity pleas, insanity this. Ain't nothing wrong with her. Nothing. She was on the same thing that my niece was on: track, honor roll, engineering, she was on everything. Everything! You know how smart you gotta be to be on that? To hold that down every day, now this happened and you want to play stupid like you're crazy? Ain't nothing wrong with you!"

She was also unhappy with Fitzgerald High School and says enough isn't done to protect the children.

"No metal detectors, no security, nobody sticking they're hands in book bags, nothing! I literally can walk into Fitzgerald, not took the office, not show my ID and go to every class," she said.

Lewis was only in court for a few minutes and did not make eye contact with the victims' family. She's was supposed to be back in court on Oct. 4 but that has been delayed due the competency exam.