An intellectually disabled, nonverbal adult accused of fatally beating a caregiver at a Maryland group home was committed to the custody of public health officials Tuesday as part of his expected transfer from the Montgomery County jail to a residential care facility in Hagerstown.

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       Edward David, 27, charged with second-degree murder in the Saturday night killing of Fokam Henry Sigala, 62, appeared in court via closed-circuit video. The judge who issued the transfer cited a mental health evaluation of David at the jail and the judge’s own observations from the bench.

       “Mr. David does not appear to have the ability to engage in a conversation in any meaningful way,” Montgomery County District Court Judge Marina Sabett said. “He does not appear to be aware of his situation and .？.？. what he is alleged to have done.”

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       David sat still during much of the hearing, staring out on the screen from behind a blue mask. Two correctional staff stood behind him. His recent mental evaluation at the jail, the judge noted, stated that he required 24-hour, direct supervision and that he very much wanted Ritz crackers to eat.

       “This is an incredibly tragic and unique murder case,” Montgomery’s top prosecutor, John McCarthy, said this week.

       About 7:30？p.m. Saturday, police were called about an unresponsive adult at the group home, along Carona Court in the Colesville area of the county, according to court records. Sigala was pronounced dead at the scene. Police interviewed a resident of the home who said he saw the altercation.

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       David struck Sigala with his hands, dropping him to the floor, then got on top of Sigala and “smashed his head into the floor multiple times,” detectives alleged in court papers. David was taken to the county jail.

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       From the onset, though, police, prosecutors, defense attorneys and doctors appeared to agree that David shouldn’t stay there long, and officials moved quickly to have him evaluated.

       “This was fast-tracked in hopes of getting him to a more appropriate placement that can address his issues,” public defender John Lavigne said in court Tuesday, arguing that David appeared to be mentally incompetent to understand legal proceedings.

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       Prosecutor Hannah Gleason agreed with the recommendation to have David committed to the Maryland Department of Health. Gleason and Lavigne jointly asked the judge to check a form box stating that David suffered from “mental retardation.” Gleason also indicated that the Department of Health ultimately would be placing David at the Potomac Center, a residential care facility that has a secure forensic unit.

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       In Maryland, criminal defendants who cannot understand the charges against them or cannot follow legal proceedings are deemed incompetent to stand trial. They can be held for years in locked medical facilities.

       Sabett also found that David represented a danger to himself and to others. She ordered him to continue to be held on no-bond status.

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