JEFFERSON COUNTY — Dates were confirmed in court Tuesday for a mental fitness trial of a 36-year-old Mt. Vernon man accused of shooting his brother to death on the Fourth of July 2018.

Matthew Sloan is charged in Jefferson County court with three counts first-degree murder for the shooting death of his brother David Sloan after the two argued after a night at drinking at David’s rural Mt. Vernon home.

Within a month of Sloan’s arrest, the court ordered a mental fitness evaluation of the defendant. The results of that exam were submitted to the court in November with the doctor finding Sloan fit to stand trial.

Defense attorney Scott Quinn, however, disagreed with that finding, so six jurors will now be selected for a trial February 13 on the defendant’s mental fitness. A pretrial hearing will be held February 5.

According to former Jefferson County Sheriff Travis Allen, Sloan admitted at the time of his arrest that he shot his brother.

Technically, the fitness trial is a fitness hearing, but set up to more closely resemble a jury trial. Six jurors will be selected and their verdict will determine if Sloan is fit to stand trial in the case.

If he is found unfit, he will be remanded to the custody of a state mental health facility for treatment until he is deemed fit by doctors. If he is found mentally fit during the trial, his case will be returned to felony court where it will proceed toward prosecution.