UNC graduate student Tailei Qi, who stands accused of the murder of UNC associate professor Zijie Yan, has been found unfit to proceed to trial due to severe mental illness, according to an Orange County Superior Court ruling.

During a hearing on Monday, Judge Alyson Grine determined that Qi will be committed to Central Regional Hospital for mental health treatment. Qi's behavior while in detention, which included delusional thinking, paranoia, and self-harm, were cited as evidence of his severe mental illness.

District Attorney Jeff Nieman clarified that the decision to hospitalize Qi should not be viewed as the end of the case, but rather a "pause" in the trial process. He explained that the defense initially sought the evaluation of psychiatrist Dr. George Corvin, followed by a court-ordered evaluation by state expert Dr. Nicole Wolfe. Both evaluations found that Qi was unfit to stand trial, with Grine noting that schizophrenia is likely present.

Nieman emphasized that the goal now is for Qi to receive treatment in order to improve his mental health and enable him to participate in the trial proceedings. However, there is a possibility that Qi's doctors may conclude that restoration of his mental competency is not possible.

The timeline for Qi's case remains uncertain, as it largely depends on the progress of his mental health treatment. Nieman stated that, on average, homicide cases in Orange County take between 1.5 and 2.5 years to reach resolution from the time of the offense.

Qi was initially arrested and charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm on educational property in August. Since then, he has been held without bond in the Orange County Detention Center. His last appearance in court was in September.

The autopsy of Professor Zijie Yan revealed that he had been shot seven times in his office in Caudill Laboratories. As the trial process remains on hold, the focus now is on Qi's mental health and the potential for his restoration to competency in order to proceed to trial in the future.