During a pretrial hearing held Oct. 29, clinical and forensic psychologist Frank Dattilio testified before Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas Judge Maria Dantos he believes defendant Jamie Silvonek meets the criteria for decertification.

If decertified by Dantos, Silvonek’s case would go to juvenile court for the March 15 death of her mother, Cheryl Silvonek.

Jamie Silvonek’s boyfriend Caleb Barnes, then 20, also stands accused in the death.

A witness for the defense, Dattilio discussed at great length details of his findings.

According to Dattilio, the protocol for a decertification evaluation includes valid and reliable empirical testing, extensive interviewing with the minor, collateral interviews with family members and friends, a meticulous review of records including school, medical, and counseling, and essentially anything that would help evaluate if the minor can be rehabilitated by age 21.

“The more criteria we have, some of which is empirically rooted, the better we can make a conjecture,” he testified.

Practicing for 35 years, Dattilio said he has performed more than 100 decertification assessments and has testified at approximately 60 hearings.

He stated about 20 pecent to 30 percent of the cases he evaluates, he cannot recommend decertification.

Dattilio testified he spent roughly 10-12 hours of face-to-face time with Silvonek during monthly meetings from April through August.

He described what he learned about the first 14 years of her life.

Dattilio told the judge Silvonek was raised in an intact family with her mother working in the medical field and her father a local pharmacist.

“Jamie was involved in school, piano, dance and gymnastics,” Dattilio said. “She’s never had as much as a detention. She’s just never been in trouble.”

He stated Silvonek battled some depression with vegetative symptoms of insomnia and loss of appetite, around age 12 or 13. However, there was nothing to suggest any more serious psychological issues.

Her family sought therapy with a counselor and eventually she was treated by a psychiatrist and was initiated on medication therapy.

He noted on testing, Silvonek’s IQ was found to be 142, but there was a discrepancy across sections suggesting a possible non-verbal social disability.

During the evaluation, Dattilio said he found Silvonek was “extremely bright but emotionally very immature.

“In my opinion, she was very vulnerable,”

Silvonek met Caleb Barnes at a concert at age 13.

“She became enamored,” Dattilio stated. “Barnes was an older man, in the military with a lot of sophistication, ruggedness and manliness.

“They began a relationship and Jamie was over-the-moon. She believed she was in love.

“She was not herself and was doing a lot of things she hadn’t done before [meeting Barnes].

“She was caught up in vulnerability and euphoria of this relationship coming on the heels of some depression.”

Dattilio added despite Cheryl Silvonek’s admonishment about their difference in age, Jamie still had hope she and Barnes could be together because she was used to her mother giving in.

Dattilio also discussed text messages sent between Silvonek and Barnes.

“She allowed the banter to go on, which is one of the hallmarks of juvenile unsophistication,” Dattilio stated.

“She never believed it [the killing of her mother) would actually come to fruition.”

On cross-examination, Dattilio was repeatedly questioned by Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Dimmig about Silvonek’s history of lying.

Dattilio freely agreed Silvonek is a manipulative adolescent with a history of lying, but he stood by his assessment and evaluation.

“She is not a sophisticated criminal and there are no previous records to say otherwise,” Dattilio said. “Unlike a lot of the cases I get, she has a good 6-1/2 years for rehabilitation in the juvenile system.

“She is bright, motivated and without roadblocks. It is my opinion it [decertification] would be in the best interest of the public at large.

“I’ve got a lot of experience in this and I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe Miss Silvonek was amenable to treatment. I just wouldn’t take that risk.”