Man who claimed God told him to cause deadly crash being sent to mental hospital for treatment

BATON ROUGE - A teen charged with murder after intentionally causing a deadly crash on Siegen Lane last month is being sent to a psychiatric hospital to determine whether he will stand trial.

Attorneys representing Jack Jordan say their client is psychotic, which could cause complications for prosecutors. During a hearing Friday a judge ordered he be admitted to a St. Francisville hospital for treatment for 90 days, after which he will be assessed.

"He’s been given some medications. He’s better than he was when we’ve seen him previously, so I think he understands at least in general terms what was going on today," said Jordan's attorney, James Manasseh.

"Again he doesn’t have a full comprehension of everything that’s going on around him," he continued.

Jordan was involved in a crash that claimed the life of 51-year-old Stephanie Payne. Louisiana State Police said Payne was stopped at the intersection in a 2013 Nissan Rogue. Jordan allegedly sped through the intersection and struck Payne's vehicle at high speed, causing it to burst into flames.

The teen told police he intentionally caused the crash. According to arrest documents, Jordan claimed he accelerated into the other vehicle because God had instructed him to kill himself.

After being released from the hospital, Jordan was taken to LSP'S Troop A for processing, where he attempted to escape.

The teen is charged with second-degree murder, reckless operation, and simple escape. His bond was set at $502,000.