Mental exam ordered for man charged with murder

JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) — A judge has ordered a mental exam for a Tennessee man charged with giving his wife a lethal overdose of clonazepam and heroin.

Madison County Circuit Judge Don Allen issued the order Monday in the case of John Christie of Jackson, who is charged with second-degree murder.

Christie’s wife, Brittany Christie, was found dead in a Jackson hotel room on Dec. 6. The Jackson Sun reported (http://bit.ly/1tfgfZP ) that an autopsy showed Brittnay Christie died from an excess of the two drugs in her system.

Police say John Christie gave her enough clonazepam to make her helpless and then injected her with heroin.

His mother, Edythe Christie, is charged with tampering with physical evidence. Allen on Monday allowed her to travel to Kentucky, where her church sometimes holds functions.

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Information from: The Jackson Sun, http://www.jacksonsun.com

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