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Youngstown defendant in capital case spouts off in Sweeney's court
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Lance Hundley told a judge Wednesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court that he is being forced to take a competency evaluation against his will.
Hundley, 47, who could face the death penalty if convicted of the Nov. 6 killing of Erika Huff, 41, inside her Cleveland Street home, was told by Judge Maureen Sweeney that he had no choice but to cooperate.
“I don’t care what you want,” Judge Sweeney said. “You’re going to do it.”
“Good luck,” a defiant Hundley said. “Good luck, good luck, good luck.”
Hundley is accused of beating Huff to death and also beating her mother and setting the house on fire. Police who responded to an alarm call went inside the home while it was on fire to get Hundley and Huff’s mother out of the house.
Hundley is on his second team of lawyers. His first set of court-appointed lawyers filed a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity for him and asked for a competency evaluation. When that evaluation came back that he was competent to stand trial, his lawyers asked for a second evaluation, which prompted Hundley to ask for new attorneys because he did not want to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
The second evaluation was to be done at the Mahoning County jail Saturday, but one of Hundley’s new attorneys, John Juhasz, said that Hundley would not cooperate, so he asked that he be sent to a secure facility in Columbus to have the evaluation done. Juhasz said that Hundley could change his plea if he wants, but he has to be ruled competent to do so.
Hundley stood up and interrupted Juhasz and shouted that he wanted to change his plea and wanted no part of a second evaluation. Deputies had to force him to sit down before he was allowed to speak.
“I never wanted the first [evaluation],” Hundley said. “You are trying to make me do things I don’t want to do.”
Judge Sweeney explained that if the evaluation finds Hundley competent, she will allow him to change his plea, which is his right. Hundley also complained about some medication he was taking at the jail. Judge Sweeney promised to get his medical records and look into the matter.