A judge Thursday found that Richard “Dickie” Kidd is competent to stand trial on a capital murder charge stemming from his wife’s slaying nearly three years ago.
Kidd, 70, is charged in Boone County Circuit Court in the shooting death of Eugenia Cissie Coursey, 60, on Feb. 21, 2009. Police said Coursey’s body was found in her car at she and Kidd’s home in Harrison, shot twice with a .22 Magnum, Derringer-style pistol.
Kidd has undergone at least three mental evaluations during nearly three years in jail in order to determine if he’s competent to stand trial.
On Thursday, Circuit Judge John Putman issued a ruling that said Kidd is “capable of assisting in his defense and understanding the nature and extent of his actions and the proceedings against him.”
Boone County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Wes Bradford said he was pleased by Putman’s decision.
“This is the word we’ve been waiting for,” Bradfordsaid. “We’re very happy to see it and, though the final outcome of the case is still unknown, this is definitely a step towards the finality and closure that is important for the victim’s family.”
At the request of defense attorneys, Putman first ordered Kidd to undergo a mental evaluation July 28, 2009. Kidd was evaluated at the State Hospital and by doctors secured by his lead defense counsel at the time, Pat Aydelott, a capital conflicts attorney for the Arkansas Public DefendersCommission.
Putman held a competency hearing Jan. 25, 2011, where expert witness testimony centered around whether an aneurysm-induced stroke that Kidd suffered in 2007 left him incompetent and unable to assist in his defense.
Aydelott told Putman at the January hearing that each time he met with Kidd to prepare his defense, he had to explain the case over again as if it was the first time they discussed it.
At the January hearing, experts for the prosecution said that while Kidd may need a certain amount of guidance, he understands the proceedings and the charge against him.
At the January hearing, Putman ordered that Kidd undergo subsequent testing. Then, in an order filed March 9, Putman ordered another round of testing, saying that “further examination and observation for an extended time is warranted.”
Bradford said Thursday that Kidd’s attorneys may decide to argue that he is innocent by reason of mental disease or defect. Trial is set to begin July 23.
Before Kidd goes to trial, Bradford said there are standard motions regarding evidence and sentencing that will have to be argued. He said the capital murder case lacked aggravating factors necessary to seek the death penalty, so, if convicted, Kidd will be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Kidd is also accused of keeping a gambling house, a charge which was filed in March 2009 and based on records found during a search of Kidd’s home, police said.
Bradford said he expected Kidd would ultimately be found fit for trial based on the medical examinations and is ready to proceed to trial.
“I remember quite well what the allegations are,” he said. “Now it’s just a matter of going forward and reaching a final resolution of the case.”
Kidd’s new lead attorney, Caren Harp of the state Public Defenders Commission, didn’t return a call Thursday for comment.
To contact this reporter:
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 01/06/2012