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Former town marshal will face murder trialSAN ANGELO, Tex. (AP) — Frank Hayes, former Castroville town marshal, is competent to stand trial on charges of capital murder in the shotgun slaying of Richard Morales.A seven-woman, five-man district court jury deliberated 43 minutes Tuesday before finding Hayes sane after two days of testimony. No trial date has yet been set.Morales, 29, was killed Sept. 14,1975, while allegedly in the custody of Hayes, and his body was found buried 300 miles away on an East Texas farm owned by Mrs. Hayes’ family.State Dist. Court Judge Earl Smith ordered the sanity trial after a hearing April 6. The trial was moved to Tom Greene County on a change of venue.Dr. Richard Coons, an Austin psychiatrist, examined the 53-year-old Hayes for two hours April 16 and testified Tuesday that the former law enforcement officer “is suffering from minor mental problems’’ but is competent to stand trial.The psychiatrist said Hayes exhibited “good mental control, good retention and attention and above average intelligence.”Dr. William Donovan of San Antonio had testified Monday that Hayes is a “borderline diabetic” and has shrinkage of the brain, a commonsympton of senility.Coons told the jurors — “When a brain gets smaller it is not directly related to the thinking process. If he (Hayes) has shrinkage that does not tell you his functional capacity is diminished.”
Newspaper Details
Big Spring Herald
Big Spring, Texas, US
Wed, May 26, 1976
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Jared T.
NA, NA 29 May 2023
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