In a motion filed Thursday, attorney Matt Pippen said his client Jacob Gonzalez would have already served out his maximum possible sentence if he had been convicted of the charges against him. But he is still waiting for an evaluation by the state to determine if he is competent to stand trial.
Metro Department of Corrections Director Jerry Collins said the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center in La Grange has begun working here and around the state to perform some evaluations through video conferences or coming to the facilities.
Inaction by the state-run psychiatric center has left hundreds of criminal cases on hold across the state, with some defendants jailed indefinitely.
A murder case that has seen a man wrongfully convicted of the crime could go to trial this week, nearly 30 years after the crime occurred.
The backlog is now more than 300 inmates with competency evaluations taking up to a year to complete.
A community's worst fear was realized Thursday when Jefferson Circuit Court Judge determined that Cane Madden is mentally incompetent to stand trial.
The judge's decision on Cane Madden's mental competency is expected next week.
But his testimony could be refuted when a hearing resumes on Friday.
The law allows some mentally ill defendants to dodge both prison and treatment.
Gregory Bush is facing state and federal charges, as well as civil lawsuits for the deaths of Maurice Stallard and Vickie Lee Jones.
