Insanity plea entered for Leitersburg man in July murder case with apparent strangulation

A Leitersburg man's defense attorney announced Monday she filed an insanity plea defense in his July 2023 murder case.

John Kevin Hickman, 47, faces charges that include first-degree murder in the death of his fiancee's aunt, Bobbie Louise Martin, 72.

Martin was found July 2 dead in her home south of Leitersburg, having apparently been strangled with a vacuum cord, according to court documents.

During a competency hearing Monday morning in Washington County Circuit Court, Judge Viki M. Pauler, based on evidence, found Hickman competent to stand trial.

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Hickman, last fall, had been found incompetent to stand trial, meaning he wasn't able to assist in his defense.

That is separate from the not criminally responsible plea that Assistant Public Defender Linda B. Zeit filed Monday, which has to do with Hickman's mental status at the time of his alleged criminal actions. A not criminally responsible plea is an insanity plea.

The Maryland Department of Health had Hickman evaluated and determined more recently that he is competent to stand trial, Deputy State's Attorney Sarah Mollett-Gaumer said during the hearing. Hickman had been transferred to the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital and evaluated, she said.

Perkins is a state maximum-security forensic psychiatric hospital in Howard County.

The competency report recommended Hickman remain at a state health department facility, according to the discussion between the attorneys and judge.

Pauler said she would file an order for the state health department to have Hickman evaluated for the not criminally responsible plea and request that he be held at Perkins since the staff there has already been working with him.

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Murder defendant requested well-being check for victim

Washington County sheriff's deputies responded to the 12900 block of Little Antietam Road, south of Leitersburg, around 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 2, and found Martin dead in her home.

Police were doing a well-being check on Martin after Hickman told emergency service officials that Martin hadn't been heard from in several days, according to charging documents.

While deputies were at Martin's home, Hickman called his fiancee, Martin's niece, and was apologizing to her and telling his fiancee that he hurt Bobbie and was going to turn himself in, a detective wrote in charging documents.

Martin was a registered nurse for many years at the Western Maryland Hospital, according to her obituary.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Insanity plea filed in murder case involving apparent strangulation