Gore Considered Competent for Trial
West Fork Man Accused of Murdering Parents
Last updated Monday, June 25, 2007 7:22 PM CDT in News
By Ron Wood
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE -- A West Fork man accused in the shotgun slayings of his parents in 2005 is still mentally ill but now fit to stand trial, according to a mental evaluation from the State Hospital.
Shane Gore, 36, is accused of the shooting deaths of Don Gore, 63, and Judith Gore, 64.
The bodies of the couple were discovered Oct. 27, 2005, after the Washington County Sheriff's Office was called to conduct a welfare check of the Gores' home.
Doctors at the State Hospital say Gore is severely mentally ill, suffering from schizophrenia and a personality disorder. But, Gore currently has the mental capacity to understand the proceedings against him and help in his defense, according to the report, as long as he stays on his medications.
Doctors say Gore was mentally ill at the time he allegedly killed his parents but that he did not lack the capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct and did not lack the capacity to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law.
Gore's IQ is 86, the low-average range of intelligence, according to doctors.
Doctors said it appeared Gore carefully planned the murders and did several things, including leaving the state, unplugging the phones and turning down the air conditioning, to make sure he didn't get caught. The Gores were supposed to be out of town on business the week they were killed.
According to the report, Gore told doctors that he repeatedly shot his parents in the head with a shotgun then slit their throats because his father wanted to sell a gambling system he'd had developed. Shane Gore apparently believed he could make $5,000 a day using the system and didn't want his father selling it to the public.
After killing the couple, Gore took the family van, withdrew $4,000 and headed for Las Vegas, according to the report. He then went to Phoenix, where he was hospitalized on a psychological ward and later arrested.
Gore was admitted to Desert Vista Hospital in Mesa, Ariz., a week before the couple was found, after being picked up by Phoenix police because of bizarre behavior. He was extradited to Arkansas after the bodies of his parents were found.
When discovered, the bodies were decomposing and appeared to have been dead about 10 days, according to a police report.
The case is set for July 30 before Washington County Circuit Judge William Storey. The case has been reset at least three times because of questions about Gore's competency to stand trial.
Gore, who has pleaded not guilty to capital murder, remains in a state treatment facility.
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