Court orders competency hearing for triple homicide suspect

August 29, 2019 | 3:28 am

Updated August 29, 2019 | 11:28 am

One of the two murder suspects allegedly involved in the January 2019 triple homicide case will undergo a competency hearing in the near future. Court documents reveal that Cylar L. Shemwell will be evaluated regarding his competency to stand trial on October 21.

Shemwell, 32, of Owensboro was charged alongside Arnett B. Baines, 31, on three counts of murder and one count of first-degree assault for the January 17 shooting that left Jay M. Sowders, Robbie D. Smith, Jr. and Christopher Carie dead, while Carmen Vanegas sustained life-threatening injuries.

Baines was additionally charged with receiving stolen property (firearm), possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, tampering with physical evidence, torture of a dog/cat with serious physical injury or death and two fugitive warrants. Daviess Commonwealth’s Attorney Bruce Kuegel is seeking the death penalty as punishment for both suspects.

According to court documents, police suspect Baines was the primary shooter during the incident, which occurred in the basement of a house located on Audubon Avenue in Owensboro. Shemwell has testified that he watched the shootings happen while smoking a cigarette.

Baines’ trial date has been set for March 2021 for months now, but no trial date has yet been set for Shemwell. However, a motion for a competency hearing regarding Shemwell was filed by Kuegel on Aug. 27, 2019.

Court documents state that a telephonic conference competency hearing will be held Oct. 21 at 10:30 a.m. to determine whether Shemwell is mentally competent to stand trial. Dr. Timothy Allen will oversee the evaluation.

A separate court document shows that Shemwell was admitted to the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center (KCPC) on May 29.

KCPC operates under the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and provides services for behavioral and mental health issues, as well as intellectual disabilities. One of the facility’s programs includes a maximum security forensic psychiatric hospital that provides pre-trial forensic evaluations to determine mentally ill individuals’ competency to stand trial.

The program also provides inpatient treatment for individuals convicted of felony offenses who are transferred from other institutions within the Corrections Cabinet.

Allen, who will conduct Shemwell’s competency hearing, was the doctor who oversaw Shemwell’s stay at KCPC in May. There are no current court records available with details regarding Shemwell’s mental health.

Shemwell is currently being held at the Daviess County Detention Center on a $250,000 full-cash bond.

August 29, 2019 | 3:28 am

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