text size: A | A | A
Report: AU Slaying Suspect Faked Hallucinations
   posted 1:19 pm Tue July 15, 2008 - Auburn
ABC 33/40 News - Report: AU Slaying Suspect Faked Hallucinations
  ABC 33/40 News - Share Report: AU Slaying Suspect Faked Hallucinations  ABC 33/40 News - Print Report: AU Slaying Suspect Faked Hallucinations  ABC 33/40 News - Email Report: AU Slaying Suspect Faked Hallucinations  ABC 33/40 News - RSS Feeds  ABC 33/40 News - Send Report: AU Slaying Suspect Faked Hallucinations via Instant Messager
ABC 33/40 News - Share This Article
Stay on top of breaking news! Sign up for ABC 33/40 News e-mail alerts.
Your Email:  

A man accused of killing an Auburn University (web|news) freshman has been faking hallucinations in jail and is fit to stand trial on an unrelated robbery charge, a psychological exam has determined.

Courtney Lockhart, 23, of Smiths Station, has pleaded not guilty in the March 4 slaying of 18-year-old Lauren Burk of Marietta, Ga. He also faces several robbery charges.

A Russell County Circuit Court judge in April ordered the psychological evaluation to determine whether Lockhart was competent to stand trial for a Feb. 29 armed robbery in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Glen D. King, a Montgomery psychologist who performed the exam, determined Lockhart is "not suffering from a serious mental illness or mental defect" and said his claims of auditory and visual hallucinations aren't credible. He recommended the court find Lockhart competent to stand trial in the robbery.

Last month, a Lee County Circuit Court judge ordered a separate mental evaluation to determine if Lockhart should stand trial for both the robbery and Burk's slaying. The court ordered the results of that evaluation sealed. Legal proceedings in the case have been postponed pending the outcome of the second evaluation.

Lee County District Attorney Nick Abbett was traveling and unavailable for comment to The Birmingham News for its Tuesday story, and the paper's efforts to reach an attorney representing Lockhart were not successful. The court has issued a gag order barring parties to the case from discussing it.

According to court records, Lockhart confessed to police that he abducted Burk on campus, robbed her, then drove her off campus and shot her. Passers-by found her on a highway several miles north of campus and she died a short time later. Lockhart told police he returned her car to campus and set it on fire.

Lockhart's attorneys have filed paperwork indicating they may pursue an insanity defense. He faces three counts of capital murder because Burk's death occurred during the commission of a robbery, a kidnapping and an attempted rape.

The court-ordered psychological evaluation included new details about Lockhart's history, including that he regularly uses marijuana, has seen his father "only three times in his entire life," and has a 2-year-old daughter.

Lockhart graduated from Smiths Station High School before serving three years in the Army, attaining the rank of specialist. His rank was reduced to private because of charges of marijuana possession and assault on another soldier. He served six months in Korea and one year in Iraq (web|news), in combat.

After being discharged in 2005, he worked for a year in construction as a heavy equipment operator. He was arrested twice for DUI, the report indicated.


Follow ABC 33/40 News on Twitter

Stay on top of local news with ABC 33/40 Newsblast
ABC 33/40 Talkback: Report: AU Slaying Suspect Faked Hallucinations
whatsright
You save the Court cost and take this SCUM OF THE EARTH and you FRY HIM, he has known the entire time in jail how to pull strings and thats a load of crap. This S.O.B. deserves to die for killing that girl and I would love to be the one pulling the switch or the one pumping his arm with the SEE YOU IN HELL JUICE, the last thing we need on this one is for this jerk to get off of this by pleading insanity, what a farce nothing but smoke and mirrors. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You need to be a registered member of
ABC 33/40 News to leave comments on news stories.
Not a member yet? Click Here to sign up.
Username or Email Address
Password
Please leave your comments below:
Messages that harass, abuse or threaten other members; have obscene or otherwise objectionable content; have spam, commercial or advertising content or inappropriate links may be removed and may result in the loss of your posting privileges. Please do not post any private information unless you want it to be available publicly. Never assume that you are completely anonymous and cannot be identified by your posts.


TM & © TV Alabama, Inc.
Please read our Privacy Policy. By using this site, you accept our Terms of Service.
Children's Television | EEO Reports | DTV Consumer Education Reports | Satellite Home Viewer Act Information

ABC 33/40 adheres to the ICRA RATING SYSTEM

Pages throughout the ABC 33/40 website feature links to other sites, some of which are operated by companies unrelated to ABC 33/40.
ABC 33/40 has no control over the content or availability of any linked site.

Legal Notices. "TM & © TV Alabama, Inc.", recognizes the privacy interests of visitors to this site on the Internet.

{ts '2008-07-15 18:29:55'}