Mourners waiting in line to pay respect to Rex Coffee
On Tuesday, February 10, 2009 a comptency hearing will take place for Willie Paul Grant at the Adair County Courthouse. Grant admitted to psychologist Stephe Free that Grant intentionally shot local business Rex Coffey in June 2007.
Free’s sumitted Grants Comptency/Criminal Repsonsibility Report to Judge in May 2007. That report states that Mr. Grant said “I shot him. I didn’t mean to kill him.” The death and shooting took place at a picnic shelter at the Beech Gover Baptist Church. According to the report Grant had been involved in a dispute with members of the church over a parking lot which Grant claims the church built on his property.
The report states that 70 year old Grant has alzheimers and high blood pressure which could cause defects in memory, mood symptoms, and possibly hallucinations. However, famiily and friends who have asked not to be named have pointed out that after the shooting Grant knew he had committeed a crime because he fled the area of the shooting, abandoned his vehicle and attempted to evade police on foot. Grant was not captured by police until the next morning.
Other concerns by family and friends is that justice will not be served because of the delay in the legal system. The report was not issued until eleven months after the shooting and the competency hearing scheduled for Monday is ten months after the report was issued. The fears as expressed to this reporter is that the message the court system is sending to the public is any elderly person having a long time feud can simply shoot the person they are feuding with and then claim alzheimers made them do it. With the public tax payers picking up the tab for medical and living expenses while Grant’s estate remains untouched.
Judge James Weddle is presiding over the comptency hearing. The US Justice Watch is provide details of the competency hearing.
