The man accused of the 2015 murders of a brother and sister he shared a mobile home with in the Goldville community has been found competent to stand trial.
Dean Carl Stevens, 52, had been indicted on two counts capital in the shooting deaths of Dianna Mitchell Sharpe, 48, and Robert Wayne Mitchell by a Tallapoosa County Grand Jury in Aug. 2016.
The brother and sister were shot to death in the mobile home they shared on Pate Road in the Goldville Community Oct. 8, 2015. Authorities said shortly after the shootings, that Stevens, who was Sharpe’s boyfriend, admitted to shooting the two after surrendering to New Site Police.
The court-ordered, forensic psychological evaluation was performed by Glen King. The report that was filed earlier this year indicates that despite prior treatment for depression, King believes Stevens is competent to stand trial.
“At the time of the alleged offense (Stevens) was not suffering from a serious mental illness or mental defect that would render him incapable of understanding the nature and quality of his actions or the wrongfulness of his acts,” a portion of the report reads.
Stevens, who is represented by Alexander City attorney Charles Gillenwaters, admitted to shooting Sharpe and Mitchell, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing last year.
Stevens also stated that he had been depressed and had not taken his Paxil in several days, in a statement to Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Bill Hough on the day of the shootings.
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According to WebMD, Paxil is used to treat depression, panic attacks and anxiety disorders.
The forensic evaluation report addresses that drug.
“The defendant reports that he has not seen a mental health professional for approximately 18 years,” the report reads. “(Stevens) may have been taking a minor antidepressant Paxil at or around the time of the alleged offense, but this was not related to any serious mental illness.”
In that preliminary hearing, it was learned that Stevens gave a conflicting statement just a week after that initial interview. In that statement, Stevens told Hilyer that that it was Mitchell who had shot Sharpe and that Mitchell then shot himself just moments later.
That preliminary hearing was held June 16, 2016.
Stevens remains in the Tallapoosa County Jail. No additional court dates are set at this time according to court records.
