Psychiatric Records Delay Slaying Trial

By ADRIAN ANGELETTE

Hours before jury selection was to begin Monday, a state judge decided attorneys need more time to get psychiatric records for a man accused of killing a Southern University football fan before the first home game last season.

Curtis Lilly, 42, is scheduled to go on trial on a charge of second-degree murder in the Sept. 9 shooting death of Freddie Jackson, 59, of Port Allen. Lilly has pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity to the charge.

Lilly’s attorney, John Russell, said in court Monday he is still waiting on psychiatric records on his client from Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and from the U.S. Navy.

State District Judge Todd Hernandez said the two mental health experts he appointed to examine Lilly have informed him they need the hospital and military records to determine whether Lilly was sane at the time Jackson was shot. Hernandez said the experts, psychiatrist Robert Blanche and psychologist Donald Hoppe, have both reported they think Lilly is mentally competent to stand trial and assist his lawyers.

Hernandez set a new trial date of Nov. 26. He also gave Russell until Aug. 14 to get the records and provide them to Blanche and Hoppe. Russell said the requests for the records have already been submitted and he’s waiting for them to be delivered.

A motion filed on Lilly’s behalf says Blanche and Hoppe have already been provided with Lilly’s medical records from his current treating psychiatrist, Krishna Yalaminchilli. Russell said the medical records go back to 1991, when Lilly was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

In the motion, Hoppe is quoted as reporting that Lilly appeared to have the capacity to know right from wrong at the time of the crime, but Hoppe added that “there is good reason to question his ability to handle stress and to act responsibly when under duress.”

In this case, authorities have said Lilly was working as a security guard at a parking lot when Jackson and his girlfriend drove up and attempted to park. A dispute arose over whether the vehicle would block the entrance to the parking lot, authorities have said.

Authorities said Lilly pulled a gun and Jackson raised his hands over his head. Lilly is accused of shooting Jackson before turning to the crowd of onlookers “asking if anyone else wanted some.”

Lilly has maintained he saw Jackson reach into his pants pocket and he fired the shot only because he thought Jackson was reaching for a weapon, authorities have said.

A Baton Rouge Police Department affidavit says Jackson did not pull a weapon from his pocket.

(c) 2007 Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.