HARRISON — Richard “Dickie” Kidd has a new attorney but still no answer as to whether his nearly three-year-old capital murder case will go to trial.
Kidd, 69, is accused of killing his wife, Eugenia Cissie Coursey, 60, outside their home Feb. 21, 2009. Police said Coursey’s body was found in her car, parked in front of their home, shot twice with a.22 Magnum, Derringer-style pistol.
Boone County Circuit Judge John Putman said during a hearing Friday that he is eager to resolve the case, which has been delayed several times while doctors battled over Kidd’s mental competency.
Kidd did not attend the hearing Friday.
Putman was given the latest reports prepared by the Arkansas State Hospital and Barry M. Crown, a neurophsychologistfrom Miami hired by Kidd’s attorneys.
Crown has testified that Kidd suffers from dementia brought on by a stroke in 2007. The stroke was caused by an aneurysm that burst near Kidd’s right ear, Crown has said.
Putman said he hopes to make a decision on Kidd’s competency by Jan. 1.
The forensic reports presented Friday were preparedat the behest of Putman, who in July ordered that Kidd be sent to the state hospital for a minimum of 30 days. Putman had ordered a 30-day stay for Kidd on March 9, but that didn’t happen.
Crown and experts for the prosecution sparred in a Jan. 25 hearing over whether Kidd could stand trial. Experts for the prosecution said he was fit to proceed.
Putman appeared frustrated Friday to learn of the reassignment of Kidd’s lead attorney, Pat Aydelott, a capital conflicts attorney with the Arkansas Public Defenders Commission. Caren Harp, another capital conflicts attorney with the commission, told the judge she will take over the case.
Putman complained that Harp had not notified the court that she was representing Kidd.
“This is not tag-team wrestling,” Putman said.
Deputy Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Wes Bradford said that if Kidd is found competent to stand trial, there remain pretrial motions to beresolved.
Kidd also faces a charge of keeping a gambling house, stemming from what police said was the discovery of records in his house indicating he placed bets on professional sporting events.
If Kidd is found unfit to stand trial, he likely will be committed for 10 months, said State Hospital spokesman Amy Webb in previous interviews.
Webb explained that a person could face trial later if doctors are able to restore competency in that time period. If competency cannot be restored, several options are available, including a civil commitment, she said.
After Friday’s hearing, Harp said she could not comment on the case.
Aydelott said in previous interviews that if Kidd were found fit to stand trial, his defense would argue Kidd wasn’t competent at the time of the crime. Aydelott said that in each meeting he had with Kidd, the defendant never remembered what they’d last discussed.
Kidd’s mental state has been deteriorating, Aydelott said previously.
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Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 12/10/2011