TRUMBULL COUNTY Killer tried to score low on IQ test, experts say

Both experts are expected to testify today.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Experts hired by the prosecution and the court believe convicted child killer Danny Lee Hill purposely tried to portray himself as being mentally retarded.
Dr. J. Gregory Olley, a psychologist from North Carolina, and Dr. Nancy J. Huntsman, a psychologist from Youngstown, say they believe Hill did not give his best effort when tested by experts to determine his IQ.
Dr. Olley began testifying in Hill's hearing Wednesday. He and Dr. Huntsman are also scheduled to testify today. Visiting Judge Thomas Patrick Curran of Cleveland is presiding over the hearing, which began Monday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
The IQ test given to Hill on April 26 by the three experts showed his IQ to be 58. Immediately after the IQ test, Hill was given a test to determine whether he was giving his best effort on the IQ test, according to Dr. Olley's written report.
On the test to determine if Hill was trying his best, his scores were low, Dr. Olley's report states.
"His scores were so low that such scores would be obtained by chance in less than one out of 100 cases," Olley wrote. "In other words, the test indicates that Mr. Hill was purposefully trying to score very low."
Dr. Huntsman agreed on her written report.
"It appeared that he [Hill] felt overwhelmed by the demands of the evaluation, not because the questions being asked were in themselves so difficult, but because he was trying to keep track of everything so as to present a consistent, low-functioning manner," Dr. Huntsman wrote.
Other details
Hill is on Ohio's death row after being convicted of the 1986 sexual assault and mutilation death of Raymond Fife, 12, of Warren.
Hill's attorneys contend their client is mentally retarded and should therefore be spared the death penalty.
An expert hired by the defense, Dr. David Hammer of Columbus, testified that he believes Hill is mentally retarded.
Hill, dressed in bright-orange coveralls, has sat quietly at the defense table during the proceedings.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that executing mentally retarded people constitutes cruel and unusual punishment and is unconstitutional.
Prosecutors have pointed in court documents to an IQ test Hill took in 2000, which concluded that he isn't mentally retarded. He scored a 71 on that 2000 test.
Although the U.S. Supreme Court didn't specify an IQ level for determining mental retardation, most states generally consider someone with an IQ of 70 or lower to be retarded.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati delayed Hill's appeal process in August 2002 pending a ruling from a state court on his mental capacity.
Judge Curran is retired but is on special assignment by the state Supreme Court.
sinkovich@vindy.com