An Indiana teen accused of abusing and murdering a 6-year-old girl in March 2021 will be subjected to psychological evaluationto assess his competency to stand trial.
Anthony Hutchens, then 14, reportedly told police that a mysterious guy forced him to choke Grace Ross. Ross went missing from her New Carlisle residence at 6:30 pm on March 12. Her corpse was discovered two hours later in a forested area near her home.
Indiana Teen's Case Moves to Adult Court
According to the South Bend Tribune, Hutchens, who resided in the same apartment complex, was first prosecuted in juvenile court, and all parties decided he was competent without conducting a hearing. The teen's case has now been transferred to adult court, and on Tuesday, St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Sanford ordered the exams. If Hutchens is judged incompetent, his trial will be postponed until he receives therapy.
Sanford requested that the examination results be submitted by mid-August and canceled the trial's initial start date of August 15. When the matter does go to trial, Hutchens' attorneys said they want to pursue an insanity defense. This would increase the number of possible outcomes of a study by two.
As adding to guilty or not guilty, Hutchens may be ruled not responsible due to insanity, which would necessitate another hearing to establish his suitable placement, or guilty but mentally ill, which would mean he would be punished as usual with court-mandated mental health therapy. The teen's attorneys have also demanded a bench trial rather than a jury trial. Prosecutors have yet to submit such request, according to Crime Online.
Teen Suspect Intends To Claim Insanity
Attorneys for Hutchens have requested that he be deemed legally ill at the time of Grace's murder in March 2021. The youth's mother stated in court that he is autistic, has ADHD, and has a sensory issue. Authorities claim he abused and murdered Grace, whose corpse was discovered in a wooded area behind the New Carlisle apartment complex where they both lived, roughly 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Chicago.
Grace, from New Carlisle, Indiana, was discovered dead less than two hours after her family reported her missing. An autopsy revealed that the six-year-old died of asphyxiation. In light of various facts, St. Joseph Probate Court Magistrate Graham Polando concluded that he will be tried as an adult. These considerations, according to the court, were attempts taken to conceal evidence, such as his bloodied garments, and the seriousness of the offenses charged.
According to Indiana code, cases incorporating an insanity defense might have four outcomes: guilty, not guilty, not responsible due to insanity, or guilty but mentally ill. For a jury to find a defendant not guilty by insanity, the defense must demonstrate that the defendant has a mental illness or disability and that the sickness or condition rendered them unable to grasp that what they did was unlawful.
If a defendant is found guilty but mentally ill, they are punished normally and must get court-mandated mental health therapy. If a defendant is judged not responsible due to insanity, the court schedules an extra hearing to discuss placement possibilities. Anthony was recently transported to a facility in Kokomo, with his attorneys and St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Sanford claiming inadequate circumstances at the St. Joseph County Jail, The Sun reported.
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