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SALT LAKE CITY — A schizophrenic man accused of killing his parents in their Holladay home after he stopped taking his medication is now competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Monday.
Attorneys for Robert John Liddiard say he will also plead not guilty by reason of insanity at a Jan. 15 hearing, a move that would allow him to avoid prison time if accepted by 3rd District Judge Mark Kouris.
The 53-year-old Liddiard is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, in the stabbing deaths of Diane Liddiard, 78 and Robert Liddiard, 85, in November 2017. A conviction carries a possible death sentence.
His case has sparked debate at the Utah Capitol in recent months over whether to expand the state’s insanity defense. Most states require a person to understand right from wrong before they can be found guilty, but Utah currently does not.
Defendants can claim “diminished mental capacity” as a partial defense in the state’s courtrooms but must prove they didn’t intend to commit a crime.
Related:
Millcreek man charged with murdering elderly parents
A Millcreek man was charged Tuesday with murdering his elderly parents in their Holladay home.Liddiard, a nurse who later cared for his aging parents full time, believed his mother and father were not human at the time of their death, so he qualifies for the current defense in Utah, his attorney Neal Hamilton said Monday. A person who believes they were divinely inspired to kill someone, however, would not be eligible, Hamilton said.
Liddiard’s family has previously said he has Capgras syndrome, which leads someone to believe an imposter has taken a person’s place.
He has been in the state hospital since April 2018 as doctors have worked to help him reach a point where he is legally competent, meaning he can understand his case and work with his lawyers.
Liddiard’s anticipated plea would allow him to remain in the hospital for what his defense team believes would be the remainder of his life.
Josh Graves, deputy Salt Lake district attorney, declined comment.
