By Bob Allen
A Union University student charged with murdering his fiancée and staging it to look like a suicide is undergoing mental evaluation to determine if he is competent to stand trial.
Charles Pittman, 21, a Christian ministry major and former member of the university’s golf team, will appear in court when his evaluation is completed. According to the Jackson Sun, his attorney says determining whether a defendant can assist in his own defense is standard when the charge is first-degree murder.
Pittman is charged with murder and tampering with evidence in the shooting death of Olivia Greenlee, 21, a music education major from Dyersburg, Tenn., found dead in a parking lot on the edge of Union University’s campus the morning of Feb. 12.
Pittman and Greenlee had dinner together the night before at a Quiznos restaurant. He initially claimed he was worried about her and began asking friends and family members to help find her whereabouts.
Police grew suspicious after they asked him to turn over the clothes he was wearing at Quiznos and he handed over apparel that did not match what he was seen wearing on surveillance video.
After being confronted, Pittman reportedly changed his story to say he provided Greenlee with a handgun that belonged to one of his roommates and was sitting in the car with her when she shot herself in the head. Police said evidence at the scene contradicted his story.
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