photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The home at 2501 W. 24th Terrace is where Marcus Cassella lived and where a death occurred overnight. The house is pictured late Saturday morning, April 18, 2026.

A Lawrence man facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of his grandmother has been ordered to undergo an exam to determine whether he is competent to stand trial.

Judge Stacey Donovan on Monday issued the order for defendant Marcus Logan Cassella, 25, after his first court appearance “based on the defendant’s inability to understand the charges.” At that appearance, via video from the jail, Cassella said he did not want an attorney and asked for the charge to be read aloud to him.

However, Donovan appointed attorney Razmi Tahirkheli to represent Cassella, at least initially, then ordered the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center to conduct the exam and report back to the court.

Generally speaking, competency is determined when a defendant understands the proceedings against him and can assist in his own defense.

A status conference that had been scheduled for May 5 has now been suspended until Cassella’s competency is established.

Cassella is accused of killing 70-year-old Lynn Audrey Abrams on Saturday at a Lawrence home in the 2500 block of West 24th Terrace. Police said that Cassella had confessed to strangling Abrams. He was arrested early Saturday morning after he reportedly told an emergency dispatcher over the phone that he had committed the crime.

Cassella’s bond has been set at $1 million, and the state has described him as a flight risk as well as a danger to community safety.