Indiana County President Judge William Martin has denied a defense request for a continuance of a mental health hearing for Todd Walters, the Indiana man accused of killing his mother in February of 2015.
Last January, Judge Martin ended all court proceedings in Walters’ homicide case and ordered Walters committed to Torrance State Hospital for renewed treatment of his mental health issues. The judge last March denied a defense Motion for Diversion and Civil Commitment Pursuant to Mental Health Procedures, a legal maneuver which could have led to the eventual dismissal of charges. Then in September, Martin ordered a review hearing of Walters’ involuntary treatment, scheduling it for next Friday.
On February 21st, attorney Leonard Ambrose III filed a motion for continuance of that hearing, but on Wednesday, the judge ruled that state law stipulates that the hearing be held within a year of commitment, which would be April 7th. He kept next week’s hearing on the schedule and will keep the record open until April 7th to allow the defense and prosecution to supplement the record, and if the parties agree, the court will accept a written report from Dr. Watson and/or Dr. Bloom, the two psychiatrists assigned to evaluate and treat Walters.
Walters is charged with criminal homicide and aggravated assault in the death of his mother, 72-year-old Ruth Shirey, at her home on Diamond Avenue in Indiana. Police say he beat his mother after he had previously stopped taking his mental illness medication. Since his arrest, Walters has repeatedly denied that his mother is dead and he has undergone forced treatment for mental illness.
