FORT MYERS, Fla. — The State Attorney's Office and defense have both rested their cases in a Lee County murder trial. Adam Soules is accused of fatally stabbing a Fort Myers Beach library director in 2019. Friday morning both sides will give their closing arguments before the case goes to the jury.
On Thursday, witnesses were questioned by both the State and defense. One of the most time-consuming portions was the questioning of a doctor, who did a psychological evaluation on Soules.
His mental state has been in question since the stabbing of Leroy Hommerding. Soules has gone back and forth between being found incompetent and competent to stand trial.
The doctor called by the defense, Michael Collins, was their only witness. Dr. Collins met with Soules twice and attempted to do several tests on Soules, but couldn't complete some for a number of reasons.
Collins diagnosed Soules with type 1 bipolar disorder, alcohol abuse and PTSD. Ultimately, the defense wanted his final conclusions of Soules.
"And on January 20, 2019, was it your conclusion that due to that bipolar disorder that Adam Soules either did not know act he was doing or knew what he was doing, could not depreciate the difference between right and wrong?," the defense attorney asked Collins, to which he replied yes.
You can see part of that conversation below.
The doctor said Soules was legally insane when the crime happened, but the State Attorney's Office had questions. They asked Collins specifically about his diagnoses, and why some aspects led him to believe Soules is legally insane.
When the Chief Assistant State Attorney Richard Montecalvo asked if Collins believed Soules had disorganized thoughts during the evaluation, Collins said yes. And he had in your view disorganized thoughts?
"So he gave you inconsistent information?," Montecalvo asked.
"Not so much inconsistent information about what he was talking to me about, it was more just keeping him on topic," Collins replied.
Prosecutors called another doctor to the stand as rebuttal evidence. That doctor believes Soules has mental health issues, but was legally sane when he stabbing happened, so really two different opinions from two different doctors.
Prior to the doctor being called by the defense, prosecutors called a homicide detective to the stand. He was the one who interviewed Soules at the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
While the video of the interview played in the courtroom, Soules put his fingers in his ears and wouldn't look at the screen.
In the video Soules said "I did it, I'm guilty, I stabbed him." He told the detective he knew Hommerding was the library director and Hommerding had allegedly chased him up the stairs before.
When the detective asked what Soules is feeling in terms of the stabbing up until that point, Soules said "I felt like he deserved it to be honest."
Soules claimed he killed Hommerding because he was "evil, threatening-like and had to do something about that."
He also said he heard voices and spirits that told him to kill Hommerding. After the video played, the State only asked one question while the defense had none.
Closing arguments on Friday and are expected to last more than two hours. After, the jury will deliberate.
Fox 4 will bring you the latest once a verdict is decided.
