The court has ordered a Bennington murder defendant be hospitalized after two mental health evaluations found him not competent to stand trial. But his murder charge and no-bail status remain in place.
Defendant Darren Pronto, 34, was moved on Monday from a state detention center to the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital in Berlin, where he was to begin treatment, according to information from state agencies.
Pronto, of Pownal, was to be hospitalized for an initial 90 days due to a “major mental illness” that rendered him incompetent to be criminally tried, Vermont Superior Court Judge Kerry McDonald-Cady said in a Dec. 7 written order. He is scheduled to return to court for a status hearing on March 6.
The results of his two mental health evaluations are not accessible to the public, but a police report in the January 2021 murder case cites Pronto’s sister as saying he was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia.
He is accused of fatally slashing Emily Hamann, 26, while she was walking along the Riverwalk in downtown Bennington one morning. Police said Pronto jumped her and cut her throat after lying in wait. Public records do not make clear his supposed motive.
If, within his 90-day hospitalization period, Pronto no longer needs hospital-level care, the judge said he may be transferred to the Middlesex Therapeutic Community Residence, a community-based secure residential facility.
The Vermont Department of Mental Health, which has taken custody of Pronto from the corrections department, is required to notify case attorneys within 24 hours of his transfer to Middlesex.
He had been held at the Southern State Correctional Facility, in Springfield, since January 2021 without the option to be released on bail. The court maintained his no-bail status.
Under a new state law called Act 57, the prosecuting office should also be notified 10 days before any of the following events occur: The mental health department doesn’t seek to extend his order of commitment, he is discharged from the department’s care and he is moved back to the community from a hospital or secure facility.
The court order is based on joint recommendations that the Bennington County State’s Attorney’s Office and Pronto’s lawyers reached in November.
“We are pleased that the order adopted by the court will maintain public safety while any concerns regarding competency are addressed,” the prosecutor, Deputy State’s Attorney Jared Bianchi, said in an interview.
He declined to comment on why the state decided to keep Pronto’s murder charge in place, rather than dismissing it for refiling when his prosecution resumes.
Bennington County State’s Attorney Erica Marthage and Pronto’s defense attorney, Fred Bragdon, didn’t respond to a message requesting comment on Tuesday.
Hamman’s mother, Kelly Carroll, advocated for the passage of Act 57 during the previous legislative session. She is glad the law put in place a new notification system, since Pronto had previously been hospitalized after being criminally charged, then returned to the community without the knowledge of public safety officials.
“The fact that it’s a little bit harder for him to get out of jail free this time is certainly a victory,” Carroll told VTDigger.
But, she said, nothing will fill the void of her daughter’s death. “There’s an emptiness every day that will never go away, and it’s especially pronounced during the holidays,” she said.
Carroll is hopeful that treatment would restore Pronto’s mental competency and he can be brought to trial. First-degree murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
