BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has tried for months to find a Boise man — accused of stabbing his roommate to death — competent enough to stand trial for his first-degree murder charge. Instead, the 35-year-old now could be going to prison without a criminal conviction.

That’s because under state law , someone with a severe mental illness and a history of violence can be transferred to a more secure facility for psychiatric care, which in Idaho’s case is housed at its maximum-security prison.

The Ada County Prosecutor’s Office asked 4th Judicial District Magistrate Judge Adam Kimball on May 29 to enter an order designating Scott Stevens as “dangerously mentally ill,” according to court filings obtained by the Idaho Statesman.

Stevens was charged with thr

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