Psychiatric report for teen charged with murder still not completed

By Editor | November 3, 2010 |

An attorney representing a 15-year-old rural Farina youth charged with fatally shooting a Loogootee couple in their home told a judge on Friday that the youth’s psychiatric evaluation still has not been completed.
After Monroe McWard, the Taylorville attorney representing Clifford W. Baker, told Judge Ericka Sanders that Dr. Frederick Klug had not completed the evaluation, Sanders said she expected the report to be filed in time for the next status hearing in Fayette County Circuit Court.
That status hearing has been set for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 23.
Baker is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and two counts of home invasion. The charges allege that Baker entered the home of Mike Mahon, 60, and Deb Tish, 53, in the early morning hours of Aug. 4 and fatally shot the couple with guns that were in the home.
Baker, who will be tried as an adult, remains in the Madison County Juvenile Detention Center in lieu of $2 million bond.
Also at Friday’s hearing, Sanders granted McWard’s motion for substitution of judge for Baker’s trial.
In that motion, McWard states that Baker and his family “fear(s) he (Baker) will not receive a fair and impartial trial before the current trial judge, Judge S. Gene Schwarm, for the reason that said judge is prejudiced against (him).”
A new trial judge has not yet been appointed for Baker’s trial.