Mental-health evaluation ordered for woman accused of killing girl

Reading Eagle

Mar. 16--A Berks County judge Wednesday ordered a mentalhealth evaluation for a Reading woman charged with killing a 12-year-old Millmont girl by beating her with a mop handle and sitting on her.

Judge James M. Bucci approved spending up to $1,500 for the evaluation of Rose M. Boyd-Tolver, 40, of the 700 block of McKnight Street.

Boyd-Tolver has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and related charges in the Sept. 4 death of Amira Brown.

She is being held without bail in Berks County Prison.

Bucci appointed Dr. Larry A. Rotenberg, a Reading Hospital psychiatrist, to do the evaluation.

In his order, Bucci stated Rotenberg should determine if Boyd-Tolver is able to understand the criminal proceedings against her and help in her defense.

According to detectives: Boyd-Tolver, who weighs about 260 pounds, struck Brown repeatedly and then sat on her in the girl's bedroom at 630 Summit Ave., where Brown was under the foster care of Barbara Martin.

Boyd-Tolver was a friend of Martin's and was in the residence watching Brown.

When Martin returned home, she found Brown, a seventh-grader at Southwest Middle School who weighed 130 pounds, unconscious beside her bed.

Brown was dead on arrival in Reading Hospital.

She died of cardiorespiratory collapse caused by a beating and physical restraint, according to an autopsy report.