DECATUR, Ala. — An attorney representing a Decatur woman accused of two murders applied for and was granted a mental health examination for their client, court records show.
Mary Hughes was charged in the August 31 beating death of Mimi Marquette on the city's northeast side, as well as the September 1 death of James Jefferson on East Moulton Street.
Court documents show Hughes "believes she was initiated into a cult" the night before one of the murders and that she has had a history of hospitalizations for mental health reasons.
Hughes' attorney says the woman has hallucinations and hears voices, and that she was prescribed Depakote, which is used to treat manic episodes and/or bipolar disorder, but that she stopped taking the medication against medical advice.
The application for a mental evaluation was granted on November 11. Once the exam is completed, the results shall be reported back to the court. Those results could indicate whether doctors believe Hughes was suffering from the effects of mental disease or defect at the time of the killings.
Hughes remains in the Morgan County Jail on $100,000 bond.
