In Hollidaysburg Thursday, death-row inmate Andre Staton agreed to be represented by a court-appointed attorney as he pursues a new trial.
 
Staton, whose execution has been temporarily stayed, shook his head in disgust when Blair County Judge Elizabeth Doyle said she wanted him to undergo a competency evaluation. He argued that he didn't need a competency evaluation because the judge had already appointed attorney Tim Burns to handle this stage of his appeal.
 
Staton was sentenced to death for the first-degree murder of former girlfriend Beverly Yohn.
 
The hearing Thursday may be just the start of a lengthy and intense battle over Staton's conviction and sentence.