A finding of incompetence is presenting unique challenges in the case of an Arkansas prison inmate accused of beating a Miller County correctional officer to death in the jail's kitchen in December 2016.
Tramell Mackenzie Hunter, 28, is charged with capital murder in the Dec. 18, 2016, death of Correctional Officer Lisa Mauldin, who died after allegedly being attacked by Hunter in the kitchen of the Miller County jail. Hunter is also charged with battery of a peace officer for allegedly causing serious injury to Correctional Officer Damaris Allen shortly after inflicting the injuries to Mauldin that ended her life.
Two psychologists with the Arkansas State Hospital have deemed Hunter unfit to stand trial because of mental illness. Thursday a hearing to address Hunter's need for treatment that may restore him to competency was held before Circuit Judge Kirk Johnson.
Hunter's lawyer, Ron Davis of Little Rock, was unable to attend the hearing, Johnson said in court Thursday.
Johnson described the issues surrounding Hunter's case as an "unusual situation," because of his simultaneous status as a Miller County capital murder defendant and as an inmate with the Arkansas Department of Correction serving time for 2011 Pulaski County convictions for aggravated robbery and domestic battery.
At the time of the attacks on Mauldin and Allen, Hunter was assigned to the Miller County jail as part of Arkansas Department of Correction 309 program, which allows certain offenders to serve their sentences in county jails in need of cheap labor. He was serving a 15-year term at the time of the attacks on Mauldin and Allen.
When a defendant accused of a serious crime is deemed unfit to proceed, he or she is typically sent to the state hospital for treatment in hopes that competency can be restored and the case against them move toward a disposition. To address Hunter's unique situation, Arkansas State Hospital Program Coordinator for Forensic Services Billy Burris answered questions at Thursday's hearing from Johnson and Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Black.
Burris said he has been in contact with the mental health program coordinator at Arkansas Department of Correction and has arranged for state hospital staff to visit Hunter monthly to assess his need for medications and other treatments. Burris said that because the state hospital is "not a jail or prison, so to speak," housing Hunter at the state hospital could create a danger to staff.
Burris said that if hurdles to treatment are identified as the state hospital attempts to treat Hunter in prison, the court will be informed so any problems can be addressed.
"If you run into, say, resistance from authorities not in the medical field at ADC would you immediately notify the court so we can address the proper way to administer the proper restorative services? In other words we don't want it to just drag on," Johnson said.
Black said her office will prepare an order reflecting that Hunter will receive services from the Arkansas Department of Human Services while incarcerated with the Arkansas Department of Correction. Johnson scheduled the case for a review hearing Oct. 23.
If Hunter is restored to competency and deemed fit to proceed to trial, he faces life without the possibility of parole or death by lethal injection if convicted of capital murder.