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Murder suspect Lance Hundley ruled competent
YOUNGSTOWN
Judge Maureen A. Sweeney has ruled Lance Hundley competent to stand trial in his capital murder case.
The Mahoning County Common Pleas Court judge made her ruling at the end of a Friday competency hearing, at which Dr. Delaney Smith, a psychiatrist with Twin Valley Behavioral Health Care in Columbus, and Dr. Thomas Gazley, a psychologist with the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Northeast Ohio in Austintown, testified they found Hundley understood the legal proceedings against him and could assist in his defense.
Hundley, 47, of Washington Street, Warren, or Cleveland Street, Youngstown, could face the death penalty if he’s convicted in the Nov. 6, 2015, slaying of Erika Huff, 41, in her Cleveland Street home on Youngstown’s South Side.
Hundley is accused of beating Huff to death, beating her mother and setting the house on fire.
Police entered the burning house to rescue Hundley and Huff’s mother.
Hundley is charged with aggravated murder with a death-penalty specification, attempted murder, felonious assault and aggravated arson.
In January, the defense requested Hundley’s competence to stand trial be evaluated and filed a plea of innocent by reason of insanity.
“We really haven’t been able to get anything accomplished on this case because we’ve been jammed up with the competency evaluations, and he’s not been cooperative,” Jennifer McLaughlin, an assistant county prosecutor, said of Hundley.
No scheduled trial date is shown on the court docket for Hundley, but a motion hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Jan. 11.
In response to a question from Hundley’s lawyer, John Juhasz, Dr. Smith testified Hundley refused to answer her questions during the competency evaluation about who his lawyers are and what charges he faced.
“He was able to control his behavior when he chose to,” Dr. Smith said of Hundley’s behavior during his 20 days at Twin Valley.
Although Hundley was diagnosed at Twin Valley with anti-social personality disorder and malingering of mental illness and memory deficits, Dr. Smith said Hundley showed no signs of major mental illness.
“Anti-social personality disorder is basically a life-long character trait, where people show a chronic disregard for the rights of others,” Dr. Smith explained.
“He was cooperative in providing some general information about the allegations, but he declined to provide details about the circumstances and events in the alleged offenses,” Dr. Gazley said of Hundley.
“I don’t think he was trying to look as if he was mentally ill, when he wasn’t,” he added.
Dr. Gazley said he found no signs that Hundley was mentally ill.
“Individuals who have anti-social personality disorder can certainly make choices,” he said.
“They may not have significant foresight enough to recognize the severity of any potential consequences at times. They tend to act impulsively,” he observed.