Case Update: Trial of Julia Tomlin, Mother of Murdered Toddler Noah Tomlin, Delayed for Mental Competency Evaluation: Suffer the Little Children

In today’s “Nice Try, Lady” news, Julia Tomlin’s trial, which had been scheduled to start on Monday, March 9, 2020, is on hold pending the result of a mental competency evaluation.

35-year-old Julia has been held in the Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Virginia since last summer on charges of second-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and child abuse in the death of her two-year-old son, Noah Tomlin, as well as three counts of felony child neglect in relation to Noah and two other children.

Julia has a total of ten children, according to the Daily Press, although Noah, Samuel, and Cheyenne were the only three in her custody at the time of Noah’s death.

Julia initially reported Noah missing in June of 2019, which set off a huge search that resulted in Noah’s partial remains being located inside a garbage bag in a Huggies box at the Hampton, Virginia steam plant, which doubles as a trash incinerator. She was arrested on June 29, before Noah’s remains were located, because of statements she made during an interview with FBI agent Liza Ludovico, telling the agent that Noah had drowned when she left him alone in the bathtub.

The early stages of the search for Noah Tomlin in June of 2019.
*(Hampton Police Department)*

According to Brad Bailey, one of 46 witnesses who were subpoenaed to testify at Julia’s probable cause hearing in December and also the father of Julia’s son, Samuel, Julia asked him repeatedly during the days before Noah’s disappearance to bring her heroin, which he did on June 22. Brad is likely the last person besides Julia who saw Noah alive.

At a brief hearing in Hampton Court on Monday, Julia’s public defender, Althea Mease, told the court that “for a number of reasons,” they didn’t want to go to trial without a competency hearing, and since prosecutors did not object, the request was granted.

At a bail hearing in late July of 2019, Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney Anton Bell said that Julia had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Little Noah’s cause of death was ruled a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head, as well as battered child syndrome.

Julia’s competency hearing is scheduled for 9:00 AM on May 20 in Hampton Circuit Court, at which time her new trial date may be set.

Click here for my ongoing coverage of Noah’s case.