2:53 p.m. update
Closing arguments have concluded and the jury has begun deliberations in the capital murder trial of Samuel Hill.
11:39 a.m.
Both sides have rested in the capital murder trial of Samuel Robert Hill, 27, who is accused of killing Allen Hill, 61, in 2014. Closing arguments are expected after lunch.
Original story
FAYETTEVILLE -- A psychologist who examined Sam Hill told jurors hearing the murder case Tuesday she diagnosed Hill with schizophrenia and other mental diseases that made him incapable of appreciating the criminality of shooting his stepfather to death.
Samuel Robert Hill, 27, is accused of killing Allen Hill, 61, at the elder Hill's home on Whitehouse Road near Elkins the night of Aug. 20, 2014. He's also charged with the attempted capital murder of his mother, Roberta Hill. The defense doesn't dispute Sam Hill killed Allen Hill.
Legal lingo
Schizophrenia
A chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality. Symptoms of schizophrenia usually start between ages 16 and 30 and may include hallucinations, delusions and thought disorders. Because the causes of schizophrenia are still unknown, treatments focus on eliminating the symptoms of the disease.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health
Hill told investigators during an interview played for the jury he vaguely remembered standing on his parents porch with a gun in his hand and said he kept seeing "flashes" the night he killed Allen Hill. He also remembered being in his car covered with blood.
"I don't know why it all happened," Hill told investigators. "I don't know why I'd go down there. I'd never do something like that. I'm a good person."
Hill said in a letter to his mother it was "like waking up in the worst nightmare ever."
Hill told investigators he was blacking out and could remember little else about the incident, including the second round of shooting -- after he left and returned to the house -- or driving to his parents home. He broke down during the interview when he was told Allen Hill died.
"The reason he's here today is because he can't keep it together," psychologist Virginia Krauft said. "He has had these experiences all his life, since he was 14 or 15 years old. His problem is in the area of mental disease."
In addition to schizophrenia, Krauft said she diagnosed Hill with dissociative disorder and diminished emotional expression. She said Hill reported suffering blackouts, delusions and auditory hallucinations.
"This has been a hard life for him. I don't think he was sitting there making things up," Krauft said. "Until he gets some compassion and treatment, it will remain with him."
A mental exam from doctors at the Arkansas State Hospital found Hill competent to stand trial.
The defense doesn't expect Hill to testify at his trial.
Allen Hill was shot six times, including two fatal slugs through his lungs, Adam Craig, a state medical examiner, told jurors. He also was hit in the face, back, right shoulder and left foot. The bullets came from several angles, Craig said.
"When you have multiple shots, there's going to be a lot of movement, changing where they are in space," Craig explained.
Chuck Rexford, a detective and crime scene investigator for the Washington County Sheriff's Office, told jurors there were two barrages of bullets fired by Sam Hill.
"There were basically two events," Rexford said.
Rexford said he found 19 shell casings from Sam Hill's gun at the house. There were 15 bullet holes in the front screen door, some from Sam Hill's 9 mm gun going in and others from Allen Hill's .45 going out. Investigators found eight bullet holes going into a bedroom window and more on the porch and inside walls of the home.
Blood spatter evidence indicated Sam Hill never got further than the front door of the house, Rexford said. Allen Hill's shots were all made from inside.
"I suspect (Sam) Hill was actually shot during the second incident and fled off the porch and north back to his car," Rexford said. Sam Hill was shot in the hip.
Sam Hill's former father-in-law Bobby Perkins told jurors Sam came to his house that night and said he'd shot Allen Hill. He also told Perkins he shot 32 times and still had 16 rounds left. Perkins said Hill had his pistol in a holster on his hip and appeared to be talking to the gun.
Hill said he didn't remember going to Perkins' home.
Hill was arrested later at his home in Fayetteville. He was taken to the hospital where he underwent surgery and police interviewed him three days later.
Circuit Judge Mark Lindsay denied a defense motion Tuesday to dismiss the case for insufficient evidence after the state rested, saying there are questions a jury needs to decide.
The trial continues at 10 a.m. today. The defense anticipated calling one more witness.
NW News on 05/18/2016