Prosecutors intend to seek civil commitment for a mentally ill Sevier County man accused of killing his father nearly five years ago.
William C. Lawton, 34, of Monroe, is charged in 6th District Court with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, for killing his 77-year-old James Lawton with a shovel in July 2011.
William Lawton has been getting treatment at the Utah State Hospital since June 2013. But defense attorney Douglas Neeley said Wednesday that based on the latest report from the hospital, which was filed with the court under seal, restoration of competency is unlikely for Lawton, who has been diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic.
At a hearing set for June 22 before Judge Marvin Bagley, a doctor from the state hospital will testify about efforts to treat Lawton, Neeley said.
Neeley said Utah law allows for civil commitment for life, and he believes Lawton — who is delusional and often refuses to take his medication — will end up committed for life.
Lawton's mother and sister, who attended a Tuesday court hearing, are OK with Lawton being committed, Neeley said.
"His family has forgiven him," Neeley said. "They believe [the homicide] was in his head and not in his heart."
About 2 a.m. on July 17, 2011, Lawton called police and reported he had been in a car crash and that his father had been attacked in the mountains west of Elsinore before the crash, according to a probable cause statement.
Lawton took police to where he said the attack had happened. There, police found the body of James Lawton, who had been attacked with "multiple weapons," court documents state, including several post-mortem injuries.
Investigators said evidence at the scene "did not support" the son's story that his father had been attacked by three black men dressed in camouflage clothing.
In interviews with police, Lawton's mother said her husband and son went to Richfield about 10:30 p.m. the night before. A few hours later, William Lawton returned home with blood on his hands and clothes, according to his mother's statements to police. He was carrying a spool of twine similar to that was found by police at the crime scene, court documents state.
William Lawton — who was adopted by the family, according to Neeley — had a history of violence against his father, a search of court records shows. In 2010, Lawton pleaded guilty to class B misdemeanor counts of assault and theft, admitting that he threw things at his father and stole a radio from him.
Police said there was "evidence of a current dispute" between Lawton and his father at the time of the slaying.
William C. Lawton. Courtesy Image
