Allegan County’s Competency Games: Guardian Ad Litem Questions Competency

In July, Clutch Justice discussed how Judge Margaret Bakker presided over one of Allegan County’s most disturbing cover-ups: a murder suspect walking free under the guise of “incompetency.”

Now, new information from the victim’s family has come forward and it exposes how a Guardian Ad Litem is now joining the fight in questioning a murder suspect’s competency.

The Guardian Ad Litem’s Retesting

According to Steven Fitzhugh, whose father was murdered, the case took a turn when Christopher Fitzhugh’s Guardian Ad Litem stepped in:

Pushed for retesting: The Guardian Ad Litem arranged new competency testing, not because Christopher had changed, but because the individual did not appear to be incompetent.
Interpreter shell game: Judge Bakker had once claimed no interpreter existed in Michigan. However, the Guardian Ad Litem was able to find one in Benton Harbor without an issue.
Medication and manipulation: Steven suspects that Christopher was placed on drugs that made him fail competency exams, creating a paper trail that labeled him “unfit.”

The Prosecutor’s Dilemma

When the results were brought to newly assigned prosecutor he did not dismiss them lightly. Instead, he recognized something was deeply wrong with the process but hesitated to act out of fear that the defendant’s rights had been violated.

“Criminals Have More Rights Than Victims Now”

Understandably, the family is frustrated. Steve’s statement captures his feelings and the imbalance:

“Criminals have more rights than the victims nowadays. I was coming home from work and had to drive by where he lives. Guess who I see driving a new dirt bike down the road? That murdering punk. Smart enough to do that. And he did have a driver’s license before he went to court for murder. That proved he was competent.”

Reviewing the photographic evidence certainly gives a person reason to pause.

Allegan’s Pattern of Protection

This case reveals a disturbing pattern in Allegan County’s justice system:

Guardians shaping outcomes: The Guardian Ad Litem drove the retesting process that shielded the accused.
Judges enabling delays: Judge Bakker allowed interpreter excuses until they served the defense.
Prosecutors hesitating: Even when misconduct was suspected, prosecutors backed away out of fear of technical violations.

Together, these forces tilt the scales of justice away from victims and toward procedural protection of defendants.

Justice Delayed, Justice Denied

This isn’t just a single courtroom failure. It’s the story of a system where common sense doesn’t prevail and where the games played by the old regime ties the hands of those who come after. And in the end, an alleged murder suspect rides free in Allegan County while a family mourns in silence.

Clutch Justice will continue tracking the Fitzhugh case until accountability is unavoidable.