A Kentucky woman who allegedly killed, dismembered, and cooked her mother last year was found fit to stand trial on Tuesday.
According to WLWT, a state-appointed doctor said Torilena Fields, 32, is competent to stand trial for murder. The woman was accused of fatally shooting and stabbing her mother, Trudy Fields, before putting pieces of her dismembered body in a hot oven on their family farm.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that Torilena Fields decapitated her mother and cooked her head, feet, and forearms in a pot until they were charred. Officers who responded to the scene were met by the suspect — who was allegedly erratic and claimed to be a witch casting spells.
A man discovered Trudy Fields’ mutilated remains while doing work on the farm. He and other men claimed they saw the mother and daughter on the property the evening before, and that Torilena Fields was being “confrontational” while “casting spells” on them, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Family members said Torilena Fields suffered a brain injury in a motorcycle accident, leading her to move back to Robertson County to live with her mother. Relatives noted that Torilena Fields was also found unfit to stand trial in a separate case in California, according to WLWT.
On Monday, defense attorney Laura Fitzer told the court that they are waiting to receive evidence, including DNA tests, phone data, surveillance footage, and fingerprint testing. However, a lack of resources have led to a backlog, she said.
“It’s not the prosecutor dragging their feet. It’s just there’s not enough funding or people,” the lawyer said, per the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The defense has not yet introduced findings from their own evaluation. Torilena Fields is due back in court on August 11.
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[Feature Photo: Bourbon County Jail]
