A former group home resident accused of a brutal stabbing death in January of his caregiver will be sent to the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center over the objections of his attorney.
During arraignment Tuesday morning in Hardin Circuit Court, Judge Kelly Mark Easton ordered the pyschiatric evaluation for 32 year-old Lindale Cunningham, who is charged with murder in the stabbing death of the sole employee on duty at a residential site near Elizabethtown operated by ResCare Community Alternatives of Kentucky.
The body of 66 year-olds Sally Berry of Radcliff was discovered in a pool of blood around 10:30 p.m. January 3 by a co-worker arriving for a routine shift change. Cunningham, who authorities say admitted to the stabbing, was one of three residents in the house. He has been diagnosed with various mental health issues including mental retardation and autism.
Cunningham has been held in lieu of a $500,000 cash bond in Hardin County Detention Center since his arrest.
The public defender handling Cunningham’s case, Jessica Schulte, wanted to have him remain in the local jail for the exam in order to not break his routine.
Easton disagreed and order him to be transferred to the psychiatric center in La Grange.
A competency hearing regarding Cunningham’s ability to understand the charges and assist in his own defense was scheduled for May 9.
source: NE
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