MADISON COUNTY, IND (WOWO) — Judge Andrew Hopper has ruled that Carl Roy Webb Boards II is competent to stand trial.

Boards, from Anderson, faces charges of felony murder and resisting arrest for the 2022 shooting death of Elwood police officer Noah Shahnavaz and could face the death penalty if convicted.

A judge ordered mental health evaluations to assess Boards’ trial fitness, including a September 2023 evaluation for intellectual disabilities. These concerns are resolved, confirming Boards is fit to proceed.

The defense argued that Boards was incompetent due to alleged mistreatment by his attorneys. Judge Hopper ruled that dissatisfaction with counsel does not indicate incompetence, and Boards has passed three mental health evaluations.

Despite the defense’s request for a change of venue due to publicity, the trial will stay in Madison County, with jurors drawn from Delaware County. The trial is set to begin in January 2025.

Boards was arrested on July 31, 2022, after allegedly firing 36 shots at Officer Shahnavaz during a traffic stop. Shahnavaz was found in his vehicle with his gun still in its holster.