TEXARKANA -- A Texarkana woman accused of capital murder in the 2013 death of a fellow square dancer is scheduled for a pretrial hearing in late July.
Virginia Hyatt, 67, is accused of approaching Patricia "Patti" Wheelington, 59, as she sat sipping coffee on the front porch of her home Dec. 3, 2013, and firing multiple shots as Wheelington tried to reach the front door of her home on Valley Street in Texarkana, according to probable-cause affidavits.
Hyatt blamed Wheelington for problems in her marriage, according to the affidavits.
Both women were members of the Guys and Dolls Square Dancing Club, which regularly met on property Wheelington owned.
Mutual friends had warned Wheelington that Hyatt was a threat to her, according to the affidavits. The day before she was fatally shot, Wheelington changed the locks of her home in response to warnings from friends.
Hyatt has not appeared in court since last year.
Early in the case, Hyatt pleaded innocent to capital murder. Because prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty, Hyatt faces life without the possibility of parole if convicted.
Hyatt's lawyers, Bruce Condit, John Pickett and Damon Young of Texarkana, were granted a request to have Hyatt's competency evaluated. A copy of the Jan. 6 report on Hyatt's mental evaluation was acquired by the Texarkana Gazette before it was sealed by the court.
The report recommended further observation of Hyatt at the State Hospital because of concerns that she might be suffering from a neurological disorder that impairs thinking.
The report included examples of beliefs that Hyatt had expressed, such as a conviction that a lawyer's ability can be determined by the quality of his shoes and that she should be ordered to perform community service as punishment for shooting Wheelington to death.
In April, inmate records showed Hyatt was at the State Hospital. She since has been returned to the Miller County jail.
Previously, Hyatt's case was assigned to Circuit Judge Joe Griffin. Since Griffin's death earlier this year, the case has been reassigned to Circuit Judge Randy Wright, who serves a nearby judicial circuit.
A pretrial hearing has been set for late July. A trial date for Hyatt is not scheduled.
Hyatt's bail is set at $1 million.
State Desk on 07/01/2015