Devon Watson faces a first-degree murder charge in the September killing of Chipotle employee Jaquoya Wix.

DETROIT, Mich. — A judge has ordered a competency evaluation for the man charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the fatal stabbing of 34-year-old Chipotle employee Jaquoya Wix, adding a new legal step to a case that began with what police described as a random attack in downtown Detroit.

Devon Jason Watson, 42, was ordered to undergo the evaluation during a Sept. 30 probable cause hearing in 36th District Court. His attorney, Charles Longstreet II, cited conversations with Watson in requesting a review of his competency to stand trial and his criminal responsibility. Judge Shawn Jacque ordered the competency examination but said a criminal-responsibility review would come later in the case. The court set a review for December. Watson remains accused, and the murder charge has not been proven in court.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged Watson with one count of first-degree premeditated murder three days after Wix was killed. Prosecutors allege Watson approached Wix as she sat in an alley behind the Chipotle in the 600 block of Woodward Avenue on Sept. 20 and attacked her with a knife before fleeing. Prosecutors have said Watson and Wix did not know one another. Worthy has described the alleged attack as apparently random while maintaining that prosecutors believe they can prove the element of premeditation required by the charge.

The distinction has become one of the central features of the prosecution. Calling an encounter random does not necessarily mean prosecutors believe it was legally spontaneous or unplanned. Worthy has said the government believes Watson planned his actions before the killing, though prosecutors have not publicly disclosed the evidence they say supports that conclusion. First-degree premeditated murder is Michigan’s most serious homicide charge and can carry life imprisonment without the possibility of parole upon conviction.

Police were sent to the downtown restaurant area at about 2:34 p.m. after reports of a stabbing. Authorities said Wix had been taking a break from her shift when the attack occurred. Witnesses and police accounts indicate she tried to reach help after she was wounded. Workers from nearby businesses responded, and emergency medical crews treated her before she was taken to a hospital. She was later pronounced dead. Officials have avoided identifying any prior relationship between Wix and Watson because investigators and prosecutors have said there was none.

Watson left the area after the attack, according to investigators. Detroit police used surveillance cameras and other downtown technology to track his movements toward Woodward Avenue and State Street. Officers arrested him a short time later. Police said during the initial investigation that a weapon believed to have been used in the stabbing had been recovered for processing. The rapid arrest became an early focus of public statements from city officials, who credited investigators and downtown security resources with helping officers locate a suspect soon after the killing.

Watson was arraigned Sept. 23 and denied bond. The arraigning judge referred to earlier assault convictions while considering his custody status, according to local reporting. Prosecutors emphasized that the first-degree murder charge remains an allegation and that Watson is presumed innocent unless convicted. The later competency order does not determine guilt, innocence or criminal responsibility. Competency proceedings address whether a defendant is presently able to understand the court process and assist in a defense, a separate question from what the defendant’s mental state may have been at the time of an alleged offense.

The evaluation also brought renewed scrutiny to Watson’s mental health history before Wix’s death. Court records obtained by Detroit news organizations show that a petition seeking psychiatric treatment for Watson was filed in July after he was taken to an emergency room following a reported disturbance. Medical professionals described him as experiencing acute psychosis, and a court granted a petition for hospitalization. The order allowed for hospital treatment followed by assisted outpatient care after his release. Watson was released from psychiatric hospitalization in August, according to subsequent reporting on the case.

Questions later emerged over how that outpatient treatment was monitored. A Wayne County court order called for continuing services that included case management, medication and other forms of treatment. Retired Wayne County Probate Judge Milton Mack, now a consultant to the court’s behavioral health unit, told WXYZ that Central City Health was supposed to submit a treatment plan to the court but did not do so. Without the filing, Mack said, the court lacked the information it normally would use to monitor whether required care was being provided. Central City Health had not publicly detailed what services Watson received.

The issue has widened beyond Watson’s individual case. WXYZ reported that notices of treatment plans were filed in only 453 of 1,380 mental health petitions granted in Wayne County in 2025, meaning the required notices were absent in roughly two-thirds of those cases. The Wayne County Probate Court later sent a letter to 21 mental health providers telling them to comply with court requirements. The Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network also said it was reviewing the circumstances surrounding Watson’s ordered treatment. Those reviews are separate from the criminal prosecution and do not establish that any treatment lapse caused Wix’s death.

For Wix’s family, the legal and administrative questions follow a more immediate loss. Relatives described her as a mother, sister, daughter, friend and coworker who was proud of her job. Her sister, Alicya Wix, said Jaquoya had a 15-year-old daughter and had been working to put her life on a better path. Family members also said she was hopeful about advancement at the restaurant. A fundraiser was established to help with funeral costs and support her daughter, whose father had died years earlier, according to the family.

Friends, relatives and members of the downtown community gathered for a candlelight vigil near the restaurant after the killing. Family members thanked workers who tried to help Wix and people who supported them afterward. The memorial shifted some attention away from the accused man and back toward the life that was lost: relatives remembered Wix as funny, talkative and compassionate, and her family said she cared deeply about her daughter. Chipotle also issued a statement mourning Wix and said the company was cooperating with law enforcement.

Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said after the charge was announced that officers would increase attention to downtown alleys and locations where people could be vulnerable. Mayor Mary Sheffield earlier called the killing an unprovoked attack and said the city grieved with Wix’s family. Officials have also discussed the mental health questions surrounding the case, but Worthy has cautioned against treating a history of mental illness as an automatic answer to criminal responsibility, which remains a matter for the courts.

Currently, the case is awaiting the results of the court-ordered competency process. No finding that Watson is competent or incompetent has been publicly reported, and the December review identified by the judge is the next confirmed court milestone in available reporting. Separate inquiries into his earlier treatment and the county’s outpatient-monitoring system remain underway. Watson is presumed innocent unless proven guilty, while Wix’s family continues to seek accountability for her death.

Author note: Last updated Nov. 7, 2026.