Indiana County President Judge William Martin has ordered Todd Walters, who is charged with killing his mother, back to Torrance State Hospital for further evaluation.
Judge Martin said that the 38-year-old Walters will return to Torrance for further evaluation and re-examination into his competency to stand trial. Walters is charged with criminal homicide and aggravated assault in the death of his 72-year-old mother, Ruth Shirey, at her home on Diamond Avenue in Indiana in February of 2015. After his arrest, Walters spent months in court-mandated mental health treatment at Torrance, and in January, Martin ordered all court proceedings against Walters stayed because of those on-going mental health issues.
Walters attorney, Leonard G. Ambrose III, had filed a motion last month for Diversion and Civil Commitment Pursuant to Mental Health Procedures and Request for hearing, which would have put him in long-term commitment at a mental health facility and possibly dismissed the homicide charges. The charges remain stayed for now as Walters returns to Torrance in hopes of restoring competency for his trial.
No word yet on when the next phase of Walters’ trial will be.
