Arieana Gibbs, aged 22, had previously been deemed unfit to stand trial in December. She is charged with multiple offenses following a stabbing incident that severely injured a priest.
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A woman, 22, accused of stabbing a priest in St. Augustine in October 2024, is expected to appear in court again in August after being declared fit for trial, according to court documents. This follows an earlier ruling of incompetency in December.
Judge R. Lee Smith signed a court order on May 29, ruling Arieana Gibbs competent.
Gibbs is facing charges that include attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault using a deadly weapon, felony battery, burglary of a dwelling or conveyance, as well as petit theft, all linked to the attack on Father Matt Marino of Trinity Parish Church, which resulted in critical injuries.
On Oct. 23, 2024, the St. Augustine Police Department alerted the public of heavy police presence in the downtown area while they searched for a female suspect in the stabbing, later identified as Gibbs.
Police said the incident occurred around 8 a.m. near the intersection of San Marco and Rohde avenues. Gibbs was arrested around 10:30 a.m., a little further south in St. Johns County.
The police department said the attack appeared to be “random,” and that Gibbs and Marino did not know each other.
Marino spent six days in Jacksonville’s HCA Florida Memorial Hospital with a severed pulmonary artery and a collapsed lung. The Episcopal Diocese of Florida said Marino was stabbed while having coffee.
Gibbs was ruled incompetent back on Dec. 19, 2024. Smith signed a court order saying Gibbs has a mental illness that interferes with her ability to consult with her lawyer “with a reasonable degree of rational understanding.” Smith also said in the order that Gibbs has no “rational or factual understanding” of the court proceedings against her and that there is a “substantial likelihood” she would be a danger to herself or others without treatment.
In the May court order from Smith, the judge ruled Gibbs competent after reviewing a competency evaluation report from the Department of Children and Families. The order does not state when the follow-up evaluation on Gibbs was done.
Gibbs is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on Aug. 14, according to court records.
Watch below First Coast News’ exclusive interview with Marino talking about the stabbing.
