Story highlights
McIntosh is charged along with three others, including her mother
Her lawyer says he doesn't plan to ask for a competency hearing now
The Philadelphia woman charged along with her mother and two others for allegedly keeping four disabled adults captive in a dank basement is “shocked” by the charges against her, her lawyer said Wednesday.
The case against Jean McIntosh, 32, the fourth suspect charged with imprisoning four mentally disabled adults in the basement boiler room of a Philadelphia apartment building, will be linked with the other suspects. McIntosh waved a first appearance before a judge and did not attend a court hearing on Wednesday.
“She understands the charges but I’m not able to tell her more than that. All I know about the case are the charges,” said Michael J. Graves, Jr., McIntosh’s attorney. “She appears to be shocked that this is happening to her.”
When asked what the defense strategy will be, Graves said it is too early to tell. He said, “I don’t plan to ask for a competency hearing at this time,” referring to a hearing to determine the mental competency of his client.
Graves has met with McIntosh for several hours over the past week; they last spoke on Monday, he said.
McIntosh is the daughter of the alleged ringleader, Linda Weston. All four suspects in the case are scheduled to appear in court on December 19.
They face charges including criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, kidnapping, criminal trespass, unlawful restraint and false imprisonment after the landlord of the apartment building found the four people locked in the 15- by 6-foot room with no food and only a bucket for a toilet, police said.
In addition to Weston, 51, the other two charged in the case are Thomas Gregory, 47 and Eddie Wright, 49.