More delay in determination of fitness for trial of accused serial killer Frederick Scott

A status hearing regarding accused Indian Creek serial killer Frederick Demond Scott’s mental fitness to stand trial has been delayed again, amid complaints from both sides of the courtroom that Scott’s case is not being monitored well enough by county mental-health officials. Scott, 29, has been accused in the killings of Steven Gibbons, 57; John Palmer, 54; David Lenox, 67; Timothy S. Rice, 57; Mike Darby, 61; and Karen Harmeyer, 64.

The killings took place between 2016 and Scott’s arrest in August 2017. Harmeyer was killed in Grandview, while the rest of the fatal shootings took place along the Indian Creek Trail. All of the victims were shot without warning, some outside of their own homes.



Afte , Jackson County Judge Charles McKenzie committed Scott to a state behavioral health program through the Missouri Department of Mental Health for a mental health evaluation. The July hearing had been intended to determine following previously . Scott’s next status hearing will be delayed until an attorney from the state department of mental-health attorney can update the court on Scott’s treatment plan, McKenzie ruled.

Attorneys for the Department of Mental Health declined to attend Friday’s status hearing, leaving McKenzie unwilling to record any updates on Scott’s treatment. Scott’s criminal case has been entirely suspended until his mental health evaluation is complete, McKenzie said. Prosecutors and defense attorneys both expressed opinions that Scott should be treated as an outpatient and moved to Fulton State Hospital, Missouri’s primary public mental health facility.

The move was also previously recommended jointly by medical experts on both sides of the case, Scott’s public defender said. The state behavioral health department instead decided to send a forensic team to treat Scott on-site at the Jackson County detention center, according to the Jackson County prosecutor. However, Scott’s treatment has not begun as planned, starting with a failed virtual intake meeting.

The Department of Mental Health “was unclear as to whether that was a refusal on Scott’s part to participate, or whether there was some sort of technical problem,” the county prosecutor said. “And it doesn’t appear that they, frankly, took the time to figure out what happened, which is frustrating to the state.” The attorney representing Scott said that the public defender’s office feels as though the state mental health department has failed to prioritize Scott’s treatment.

Prosecutors also said that Scott has had “issues” properly managing his medication, for which the state faults detention center staff. “Frankly, it feels like the detention center and the forensic medical team have both dropped the ball a little bit,” the prosecutor said. “Which is why we’re back where we are here.

” The amended in July, dictates that individuals can be committed for up to three months at a time, though someone can be recommitted. A Jackson County prosecutor said on Friday that the results of Scott’s competency evaluation are expected to be on file in January as part of an expedited evaluation process. But the public defender representing Scott said the program requires six months of treatment with county mental health staff, followed by an evaluation.

The earliest Scott should be evaluated and declared either fit or unfit to stand trial would be early 2025, the public defender said. As legal proceedings continue, Scott’s case file has been sealed from public view, according to Jackson County courts spokesperson Scott Lauck. Another status hearing regarding Scott’s treatment plan has been tentatively scheduled for September 6 at 9:30 a.

m., pending the availability of Department of Mental Health attorneys..