Mental health director testifies in Day 4 of Vickie Williams murder trial

TAVARES, Fla. - The defense continued its case Thursday in the murder trial of Vickie Williams, calling the director of mental health services at the Lake County Detention Center to testify about Williams' mental state after her arrest.

Williams is charged with the 2022 killings of Darryl and Sharon Getman in Mount Dora. Her attorneys are arguing she was legally insane at the time of the killings.

Jail official describes severe mental illness

What they're saying:

Howard Lawrence, the jail's director of mental health services, testified that Williams suffers from severe mental illness.

When asked by the defense whether Williams is mentally ill, Lawrence answered, "Yes." He also agreed she is "severely mentally ill."

Lawrence told jurors he observed Williams displaying disorganized speech and delusional behavior while she was housed at the jail.

He testified that Williams would "stand for hours and hours by her cell door" in what he described as an "attending posture," appearing to respond to something "that nobody else could see or hear."

Prosecutors question timeline of symptoms

During cross-examination, prosecutors focused on when Williams first showed signs of psychosis.

Lawrence acknowledged Williams was not exhibiting those behaviors when she was initially booked into the jail and said psychosis was not documented in her medical records until April 2023.

Even so, Lawrence testified he believed Williams' mental condition was worsening before then.

"I think that she was starting to decompensate," Lawrence said. "Like I said, it can be a gradual process."

The defense is attempting to show Williams was mentally incompetent at the time of the killings, while prosecutors are challenging whether her documented symptoms developed only after her arrest.