Suspect in Maryville pastor’s shooting death found unfit for trial
BY BRIAN BRUEGGEMANN – News-Democrat
EDWARDSVILLE — A Troy man accused of shooting down a church pastor during a sermon is mentally unfit to stand trial, a Madison County judge ruled Tuesday.
Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli based the ruling on a report he received from court-appointed psychologist Robert Heilbronner’s examination of Terry Sedlacek.
Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed the psychologist would testify that Sedlacek is schizophrenic and probably wouldn’t be able to understand the legal proceedings or assist in his own defense.
Sedlacek, 27, is accused of fatally shooting the Rev. Fred Winters of First Baptist Church in Maryville on March 8.
Sedlacek has no apparent connection to the church or to Winters. His attorneys said early on in the case that Sedlacek’s mental health deteriorated after he contracted Lyme disease from a tick bite years ago.
His attorneys, Ron Slemer and Madison County Public Defender John Rekowski, filed a motion in July asking for the mental examination. They argued that Sedlacek has “visual and auditory hallucinations,” speaks in a code and is bipolar and schizophrenic.
The motion also cited the tick-borne illness and other maladies, dating back at least 10 years.
He has suffered bouts of erratic behavior his family has attributed to Lyme disease, though Tognarelli’s three-page ruling makes no reference to the ailment.
Tognarelli wrote that prosecutors and defense attorneys agree that Heilbronner, if called to testify, would describe Sedlacek as a schizophrenic likely to provide his attorneys with inaccurate or illogical explanations for his behavior.
Heilbronner also found that Sedlacek would “have significant difficulty listening to and understanding explanations that are provided to him and be unable to respond in a relevant manner during pleading or testimony.”
Tognarelli ordered that Sedlacek be put in custody of the state Department of Human Services for treatment.
Madison County State’s Attorney Bill Mudge said Sedlacek “will be housed in a secure facility once transferred. The department will then evaluate and treat the defendant. If he responds to treatment and is subsequently found fit to stand trial, the people of the state of Illinois stand ready to prosecute this case and seek justice for the victims, their families, the congregation at First Baptist Church of Maryville, and the citizens of this state.”
Rekowski said the judge’s finding is “obviously the correct ruling.”
Within 30 days, the Department of Human Services will give the judge a report on whether Sedlacek is likely to become fit to stand trial within a year.
Sedlacek drove from his home in Troy on March 8 and walked into the church with a .45-caliber Glock and more than 30 rounds of ammo, police said. He sauntered down the aisle to the pulpit, then opened fire on Winters.
The first shot, according to witnesses, hit the Bible that Winters was holding, producing a cloud of confetti that some of the roughly 150 congregants thought was perhaps part of a skit or drama. One of the bullets went through Winters’ heart. The others missed him. The gun jammed after the fourth shot. Police have said that the gunman had 30 rounds of ammunition on him, and that the death and injury toll could have been much worse if the gun had not jammed.
Sedlacek had marked March 8 as “death day” in a day planner, according to prosecutors. In Sedlacek’s bedroom, police also found an index card that had “last day will” written on it, along with a voice recorder. Authorities have not revealed the contents of the voice recorder.
Sedlacek also stabbed two church members who rushed him and restrained him. They survived.