TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) - An Arkansas inmate accused of beating a female guard to death at the Miller County jail last year has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
The Texarkana Gazette (https://bit.ly/2n0lWhB) reports that a defense attorney for 27-year-old Tramell Mackenzie Hunter entered the not guilty plea on Hunter’s behalf Tuesday.
The attorney, Ronald Davis, also requested a mental evaluation for Hunter. The judge approved the request and scheduled a hearing for April 11.
Hunter is accused of beating 47-year-old Lisa Mauldin to death in the jail’s kitchen on Dec. 18 after a verbal exchange.
Prosecutors said last month that they would seek the death penalty against Hunter. Davis says he will be filing “the normal battery of constitutional challenges to the death penalty.”
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Information from: Texarkana Gazette, https://www.texarkanagazette.com
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