The death of little Grace Ross: Killer Anthony Hutchens says 'shadowy man' told him to kill 6-yr-old
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA: A teenager from Indiana told the cops that a 'shadowy man' made him murder a six-year-old girl in 2021. Attorneys have advised a psychological evaluation for 15-year-old Anthony Hutchens to determine if he will be declared insane legally. This examination will further determine whether or not he is fit to stand trial.
As reported by the South Bend Tribune, this is regarding the March 2021 murder of the six-year-old Grace Ross who lived in the small town of New Carlisle. The local doctors and experts submitted their findings after orders from St Joseph County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Sanford.
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Hutchens is being charged with two counts of murder and one count for the molestation of a child. Authorities spoke to his mother the night when the six-year-old victim's body was found. It was near an apartment complex where both Ross and Hutchens lived. The body was located hours after Ross' family reported her missing.
The accused killer told the police that he followed the little girl into the woods near the apartment complex and strangled her because a 'shadowy man' instructed him to. After allegedly committing the crime, Anthony ran off but was later arrested.
As of now, he is being held at a youth center that is located in Kokomo. Anthony's mother has testified in court that her son suffers from a sensory disorder. She also claimed that he is on the autism spectrum.
As the legal team of Anthony has decided on asking him to use the insanity plea, this case will now be tried in adult court. It was initially set to be argued in youth court. Trials involving an insanity defense can result in four outcomes: guilty, not guilty, not responsible by reason of insanity or guilty but mentally ill. Attorneys have also requested to have the case decided by a judge rather than a jury, the Tribune reported. Hutchens is expected to be back in court on July 11 for a status hearing before the case goes to trial on August 15.
A competency evaluation is used to determine if a defendant is able to understand the proceedings and assist in their defense. If Anthony is found not competent, the trial would be postponed while he would be committed to the division of mental health and addiction.