Mom of 8-year-old boy speaks out on mental competency trial date set for alleged attacker

This week a trial date was set for Daniel Poulsen, 33, of Desert Hot Springs who is accused of attacking a then 7-year-old boy outside his home last summer. Poulsen is due in court on May 27 where a jury will decide whether he is mentally competent to stand trial.

Poulsen was arrested last July after allegedly attacking Gavin Ludwick in the middle of the street in the 9600 block of Vista Del Valle, fracturing the boy's skull and rendering him unconscious. Poulsen was a neighbor, but neither of the families knew each other.

"I want the man to get help because obviously he’s got something-- he needs some sort of help, but I also think he needs to be put away so he can’t do this for anybody else," said Gavin's mother, Wendy Ludwick.

Poulsen faces one count of attempted murder and one count of child endangerment causing great bodily injury. However, last year a judge declared a 'doubt,' after the public defender said Poulsen did not understand the charges filed against him. Psychological evaluations also pointed to doubt about the defendant's mental competency.

"He’s been in jail since the night that it happened. I think that if he’s in front of a jury of his peers they’ll see that he is competent because of everything he did to get away from the police that night," said Ludwick.

On Friday New's Channel 3's Shelby Nelson visited Gavin, who has since turned 8 years old and is in second grade.

"He’s healthy, he’s happy, he’s playing," said Ludwick.

Gavin noticeably grew a bit taller, had longer hair and flashed a toothless smile after losing some of his front teeth.

"He has to go back at the beginning of June to see a plastic surgeon about having the back of his head closed up where they had to put a skin graft. That was where they could pull it over and put a metal plate because that’s harder to heal," said Ludwick.

The next surgery is much simpler, doctors have told Wendy. His mother also told us Gavin goes to therapy once a week to help strengthen some of the motor function he lost in the attack.

To be considered incompetent to stand trial, it must be shown that Poulsen does not understand the nature of the criminal proceedings against him.

He would then be sent to a state mental hospital for an indeterminate period.

Poulsen is no stranger to competency proceedings. Court records show he has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial at least 11 times over the years.