Duane Owen Warrant Update: Hearing Thursday on Owen's competency for execution
The Bradford County trial court has set a hearing for Thursday at 1:30 p.m. on Owen's competency for execution.
The transcript from the case management conference held in Bradford County last week was posted to the docket this afternoon. The transcript indicates the following:
The defense plans to file their Rule 3.811 motion this week—either “late Wednesday” or “at the very latest by Thursday morning” at 9:00 a.m.
Dr. Eisenstein (defense witness) is going back to the prison today to “do further evaluation of Duane Owen. . . . DOC wouldn’t allow him to go” yesterday. He will be preparing a supplemental report related to the Commission’s determination that Owen "does “not suffer from any mental illness and that he was malingering.”
Dr. Eisenstein has had to reschedule things to prioritize Owen’s case. Another defense witness—Dr. Faye Sultan who evaluated Owen in the 90s—is unavailable this week due to a pre-planned Alaskan cruise.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
As far as the unavailability of Dr. Sultan, the Court suggested that defense counsel “double up . . . efforts to get [an] affidavit“ from her before she left for her trip (where there would likely not be any Internet) the next day.
As of this post, there is no update on the Florida Supreme Court docket.
My thoughts are with everyone involved in the warrant and execution process.