BEDFORD — A Mitchell man accused of killing his father following a series of troubling social media posts has returned to Lawrence County to face judicial proceedings after previously being deemed incompetent to stand trial.
Shawn Hays, who is now 56, was initially taken into custody in December 2022 by the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department following a fatal shooting at a residence in the 500 block of Easy Street in Mitchell.
Deputies responded to the property after receiving a request for a welfare check. Upon arrival, officers observed Hays attempting to quickly drive away from the scene in a silver Chevrolet pickup truck. Deputing officers performed a traffic stop and observed a shotgun resting on the seat next to Hays. One deputy distracted Hays while another retrieved the firearm, leading to a brief struggle before Hays was detained.
A subsequent search of the property revealed the body of Hays’ father lying in the yard. The death was immediately investigated as a homicide.
Following his arrest, investigators highlighted a series of alarming posts across multiple Facebook accounts linked to Hays. In one post written just days prior to the shooting, Hays expressed extreme distrust toward his father, posting that he believed his real father had been kidnapped or killed and replaced by “a robot that looks like my dad.” In the post, Hays wrote that he needed to confirm the individual was a robot before taking action.
During subsequent court proceedings, parties appeared for a competency hearing where witnesses were sworn, and testimonies were heard. Presiding Superior Court Judge John M. Plummer III determined that Hays was incompetent to stand trial, ordering him into state mental health care pending restoration of legal competency. Under Indiana law, an Incompetent to Stand Trial (ICST) evaluation is a court-ordered clinical assessment by qualified mental health professionals to determine if a defendant understands legal proceedings and can assist in their own defense.
Following a period of treatment and evaluation, Hays was returned to Lawrence County custody on August 26, 2026. During a recent pretrial conference, defense counsel provided an update on the status of the case to the court.
Judge Plummer has set a final pretrial conference and final motions hearing for September 22 at 9:00 a.m. A multi-day trial session before Judge Plummer is currently scheduled to begin October 19 – October 23.
