Stepmom to undergo more evaluation

FARMINGTON — Both prosecutors and defense attorneys have agreed that mental health experts need more time to evaluate Angela Ray Andrews, who is charged with abusing and killing her 10-year-old stepdaughter, Shelby, last year.

Andrews, 36, is charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse of a child, both first-degree felonies. Her attorney has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of "diminished capacity," which is a form of the insanity plea.

Andrews' husband, Ryan William Andrews, 38, previously pleaded guilty to killing Shelby and has been sentenced to prison. Among other things, Ryan Andrews agreed to testify against his wife and provided a graphic confession that details horrific abuse that preceded the child's death.

The charges against both adults emerged from an Aug. 1, 2006, incident in which police responded to the couple's Syracuse home and found Shelby's battered body. More than 80 percent of the child's body was covered with bruises and bite marks, and she had suffered blunt trauma to the head.

Second District Judge Michael Allphin on Monday accepted the agreement among attorneys in this case and set a new pretrial date for Angela Andrews for March 5.

Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings told the judge that mental health professionals evaluating Angela Andrews were not "slacking off," but needed more time because as they delve into the situation, they discover more things that must be explored. Besides an evaluation of Angela Andrews herself, these professionals also are talking to witnesses, reviewing medical records and doing other research before coming to any conclusions.

Outside the courtroom, defense attorney Dee Smith said Angela Andrews is being examined for both her competency to proceed to trial, as well as her state of mind at the time the incidents occurred with Shelby.

"She has been accused of some very horrific things," Smith said. "She has no criminal history, no history of violence, so we want to see what was going on."

Smith said his client was on medication at the time Shelby died but declined to specify what type of medication and why she was taking it.

She knows her husband has said he will testify against her at trial and she is "holding up as well as can be expected under the circumstances," Smith said.

"Competency" in Utah is a relatively straightforward legal standard that means a person could be mentally ill but still can proceed to trial as long as the individual can understand the charges, can comprehend how the court works and can help defense attorneys with the case.

Any type of insanity plea, however, must meet a much higher standard, and Utah has one of the toughest laws in the nation.

There was a time in the United States when criminal defendants could plead insanity and face few, or no, sanctions for criminal acts. Sometimes, after being hospitalized, individuals could be released. However, national outrage sparked changes in many state laws regarding the insanity defense after John Hinckley tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Hinckley was acquitted by reason of insanity and was sent to a mental hospital.

Since then, most states,states including Utah,Utah have toughened their standards for entering an insanity plea.

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E-mail: lindat@desnews.com