Ex-Turnstile Guitarist Ordered to Undergo Competency Evaluation

Legal Proceedings and Competency Concerns

During a status hearing on Thursday, Sept. 3, Circuit Judge Eric Johnson ordered the evaluation for the former Turnstile guitarist following a request from his attorney, Mark Sobel. Sobel informed the court that he had "significant concerns regarding competency," noting that he believed his client was unable to understand the charges filed against him or assist in his own defense.

The 33-year-old musician, who has been held without bail at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Boyds, Maryland, since April, vocally opposed the evaluation. Ebert repeatedly proclaimed his innocence during the hearing and expressed a desire to terminate his representation by Sobel, alleging that the attorney was working alongside prosecutors.

"I did not commit a crime."

— Brady Ebert

Ebert maintained that he is "perfectly competent" and dismissed the allegations presented by the state.

“Every part of the police report is a lie.”

— Brady Ebert

He previously told a district court commissioner that the incident in question was "pure self-defense."

Details of the Attempted Murder Charges

The charges against Ebert stem from a March 29 incident in which he is alleged to have intentionally struck 79-year-old William Yates with his vehicle. William Yates is the father of Turnstile frontman Brendan Yates. According to reports provided to detectives by family members, Ebert arrived at the elder Yates' home, honked his car horn, and yelled obscenities. He allegedly returned later and struck the victim in the driveway, causing severe trauma to both of his legs.

In May, a Montgomery County grand jury upgraded the charges against Ebert to include attempted first-degree murder. If convicted of this charge, the musician faces a potential life sentence. He also faces charges of first- and second-degree murder related to the case.

History with Turnstile

Ebert was a founding member of the Hardcore Punk group, which formed in 2010. He performed on the band's first three studio albums before the group officially cut ties with him in 2022. At the time of the split, the band cited "a consistent pattern of harmful behavior affecting himself, the band and the community."

In a statement released after the March incident, the band revealed they had exhausted resources to support Ebert’s access to help and recovery before setting a boundary. They also claimed that Ebert had subjected them to "baseless tirades" and that his threats had "escalated" in the months leading up to the assault on William Yates.

"After exhausting every available resource to support his access to help and recovery, a boundary ultimately had to be set when healthy communication was no longer possible and he began threatening violence. In the years since, his baseless tirades have continued in public. We never addressed it. We chose to protect his privacy and the circumstances around his departure, even when he did nothing to be deserving of that protection. Over the past few months, his threats only escalated further.… We have no language left for Brady."

— Turnstile

Upcoming Court Dates

A follow-up status hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 22 to address the results of the competency evaluation. A trial date was previously set in June for Oct. 5. The trial is expected to last for three days.