Florida dad accused of throwing 5-year-old off bridge ruled incompetent

A Florida man charged with killing his 5-year-old daughter by throwing her off a bridge last month is not mentally competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Thursday.

John Jonchuck, 25, will be admitted to a state mental hospital until his next court appearance in June after Pinellas County Judge Chris Helinger ruled he was not competent to stand trial.

His next court hearing is scheduled for June 9, when he will be reevaluated.

Earlier this month, a court-appointed defense attorney argued that Jonchuck was incompetent after several court-appointed medical professionals diagnosed him as suffering from “psychosis.”

Jonchuck has been held on charges including first-degree murder after he was arrested in January on suspicion of throwing his 5-year-old daughter Phoebe off the Dick Misener Bridge and into Tampa Bay.

The incident occurred after Jonchuck was confronted by St. Petersburg police on the bridge for allegedly speeding.

According to police, Jonchuck exited his PT Cruiser, walked over to the passenger’s side door, pulled out Phoebe and cradled her, took her to the railing and threw her off the 60-foot bridge.

At his initial hearing, on Jan. 8, Jonchuck, told a judge he did not want an attorney to represent him, but instead he wanted to “leave it in God’s hands.”