Filed by Louisville defense attorney Ramon McGee, Judge John Atkins granted a motion asking for the mental health evaluation of Earl Guillemet during Wednesday’s session of the Christian County Circuit Court — asking headway be made on or before November 1.
He’s charged in the killing of 59-year-old Dolores Hernandez, who — in early May — was found shot to death inside a 300-block East 18th Street home in Hopkinsville.
Surveillance video in the area provided to police detailed a silver Chevy truck driven by Guillemet, who was also reportedly seen throwing away items while on the move by witnesses.
Phoning in from the federal courthouse of Owensboro, McGee said his client’s competency and criminal responsibility needed serious review before they could go further with the case.
McGee is seeking the funding of this effort through the Kentucky Psychiatric Center, which Atkins noted is considerably backlogged and busy. Atkins also stated that in agreeing to this order, there may need to be another hearing if KCPC “doesn’t want it,” or its tools are found “unreliable” or an argument is made for not using it.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephanie Bolen entered no objections, and Atkins reaffirmed that the wait times for psychiatric evaluations can be long.
Guillemet has been a convicted felon since 1997. The gun in question was recovered by local authorities, and he’s also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and tampering with physical evidence.