Judge Orders Psychiatric Evaluation
Woman Accused in Husband's Death Suffers Dementia, Attorney Says
Last updated Tuesday, October 7, 2008 8:50 PM CDT in News
By Robin Mero<
THE MORNING NEWS
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At age 75, Myrtle Walter suffers from anxiety and dementia and should be in a geriatric psychiatric center instead of jail, her attorney argued Tuesday.
A judge sent the tiny, gray-haired woman to be evaluated and, pending the outcome, she may be released on a $250,000 bond.
Walter was arrested Saturday morning and will be charged with capital murder in the shooting death of her husband, Paul, prosecutors said. She is to be arraigned Nov. 3 before Benton County Circuit Judge David Clinger.
Walter is accused of shooting her husband three times as he slept after an argument. Walter told police her husband mentally abused her and she was "tired of it," according to court documents. Her husband wanted to have sex, and she was "at her wits' end," she told police. She took a handgun from a box by her husband's side of the bed, then fired it three times into the dark bedroom, where Paul slept with his back facing her.
Walter said she was sorry for what she did but was relieved her husband was gone, police said.
Defense attorney W.H. Taylor presented a letter in court Tuesday stating that Walter suffers from dementia, according to Dr. Gary Linker of Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville. She gets lost driving, cannot recall names she used to know well and often struggles to name common objects.
Walter has a longstanding anxiety disorder because of long-term sexual abuse in childhood and suffers from depression, the letter stated.
Walter, wearing white and gray jail stripes, told Benton County Circuit Judge John Scott on Tuesday that it's cold in jail.
Walter said she's lived in her 1105 S. 12th St. home for 30 years. She is retired from Glad Manufacturing and has two daughters, Laura Tucker and Debra Walter. She recalled names of her grandchildren but struggled with their ages.
Deputy Prosecutor Stephanie McLemore asked Walter, "Ma'am, did you tell police that you have memory problems?"
"I don't remember," Walter said.
Scott ordered that Walter be transferred immediately for evaluation through Washington Regional's Generations program. If that report is satisfactory, she may post $50,000 corporate security and $200,000 security bonds, which her daughters must sign. She must pledge her residence to secure her appearance at future hearings, the judge said.
McLemore objected to any bond in a Sunday hearing but loosened her stance Tuesday.
"On Sunday morning we were still investigating, and at that point we weren't sure if there were aggravating circumstances that would cause us to seek the death penalty," McLemore said. No such circumstances were found, and the state plans to waive that now, she said.
Tucker attended Tuesday's hearing. She told the judge she supported her mother being moved to Generations, and that she and her sister would sign the signature bond.
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lowell86 wrote on Oct 8, 2008 3:57 PM:
Not already registered?
Sensible08 wrote on Oct 8, 2008 9:25 AM: