BEDFORD — A Lawrence County jury has reached a verdict in the high-profile trial of Shawn E. Hays, finding the Bedford man not responsible by means of insanity on all counts connected to the December 2022 killing and mutilation of his 73-year-old father, Rodney E. Hays.
Presided over by Judicial Officer John M. Plummer III in Lawrence County Superior Court I, the jury delivered the following verdicts:
- Count I: Murder (Felony) — Not Responsible by Means of Insanity
- Count II: Abuse of a Corpse (Level 6 Felony) — Not Responsible by Means of Insanity
- Count III: Resisting Law Enforcement — Not Responsible by Means of Insanity
Following the verdict, the defendant remains held in the custody of the Lawrence County Jail.
The charges stem from a gruesome and tragic incident investigated by local law enforcement in December 2022. According to court documents and previous reports, deputies responded to a welfare check at the property where they discovered the elder Hays dead from gunshot wounds to the head and chest. The victim’s body had also been partially dismembered and mutilated.
Investigators revealed that prior to the killing, Shawn Hays, then 53, had posted alarming statements on social media expressing extreme distrust and expressing a bizarre delusion that his real father had been kidnapped or killed and replaced by “a robot that looks like my dad”. Upon police arrival, Hays made statements to investigators claiming he had to shoot and destroy the individual because it was a robot.
The multi-day trial concluded on Wednesday, resulting in the insanity ruling. State procedures following a verdict of not responsible by reason of insanity typically involve an evaluation hearing to determine the defendant’s mental health status and future placement in a secure treatment facility. According to court records, no date has been set for that hearing.
