BEDFORD – Lawrence County Superior Court I Judge John Plummer III has ruled Shawn Hays is incompetent to stand trial for the murder of his father.
The court ruled there would be no further hearing and set the matter for a Status Conference on August 29 at 9 a.m.
His jury trial scheduled to begin on June 21 was canceled.
Hays, 53, of Mitchell, is facing charges of murder, aggravated battery, reckless homicide, domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury, battery by means of a deadly weapon, abuse of a corpse, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, pointing a firearm at another person, obstruction of justice, and resisting law enforcement by force.
On December 20, 2022, at 5:51 p.m., Lawrence County Central Dispatch received a request to conduct a welfare check on Rodney E. Hays at his residence at 588 Easy Street in Mitchell.
The caller reported they had received a call from someone claiming to be Shawn E. Hays, Rodney’s son, who also lives at this residence. Shawn told the caller who called the police his father had turned into a robot and he told the caller he had shot and mutilated the robot.
When deputies arrived, they found a male hastily attempting to exit the property in a silver Chevrolet pickup. Due to the nature of the call, deputies stopped the truck and encountered Shawn Hays with a shotgun in the seat next to him.
While one deputy was communicating with Hays distracting him, the other deputy was able to grab the shotgun from the truck.
When asked about his father, Shawn Hays said it was not his father living in the home but a robot that looked like his father. Shawn was asked where Rodney was, and Shawn told deputies Rodney was “laying over there” and gestured toward the residence that was directly behind the vehicle.
When asked to exit his vehicle, Shawn became verbally combative and refused to exit. During a verbal
exchange, he stated, “It’s a robot that looks like a human…laying over there. I had to shoot at it to
destroy it.” Deputies said Shawn’s body language and communication were very agitated and confusing.
Officers removed him from the vehicle as Hays actively resisted. He was eventually placed in handcuffs.
Officers found Rodney E. Hays deceased in front of the residence. It appears he suffered gunshot wounds to his head and chest. His body had been mutilated and partially dismembered.
When interviewed by investigators, Shawn Hays admitted to the shooting, mutilating, and partially
dismembering the robot, who he said looked like his father.
A search warrant was granted to investigate the crime scene. Detectives with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, assisted by an Indiana State Police Crime Scene Technician, processed the scene.
During the course of the investigation, it was determined, attempts had been made by Shawn Hays to destroy physical evidence.
