William Thomas “Tommy” Chisholm of Kosciusko has been ruled competent to stand trial for the capital murder of Dr. Shauna Witt, who was shot and killed at her optometry practice in the Starkville Walmart of Highway 12, on January 13, 2018. 
But there may still be delays related to the mental competency evaluation of the accused before the case goes to trial.
In Oktibbeha Circuit Court Friday, Judge Lee Howard paraphrased a sealed psychological evaluation of Chisholm conducted by a licensed psychologist, indicating that the accused is mentally able to understand right from wrong and able to assist in his defense. The psychologist also reportedly indicated that he believed Chisholm was sane at the time of the incident, but because the accused refused to answer questions specific to that day, he was not able to make that determination definitive.
While Howard ruled that Chisholm is mentally competent to stand trial and he will set a trial date, he expects the case may be pushed back due to additional motions expected from the defense next week.
“(The psychologist) could not make a definitive determination of sanity at the time of the incident since the defendant would not answer questions regarding the events of that day,” said Howard. “That may necessitate an actual medical doctor specializing in psychiatry to further examine him (Chisholm) at the state hospital.”
Until those motions are heard, Howard ruled that the psychological evaluation would remain sealed, though it may be unsealed during hearing those motions.
Chisholm was charged with capital murder immediately following shooting death of Witt. The two had reportedly been in an “on again, off again” dating relationship at the time of the shooting. Chisholm was also charged with aggravated assault related to a bystander shot an injured in the incident.
Shortly after the shooting, a Walmart shopper from Eupora posted a video online of Starkville police apprehending Chisholm in the store parking lot. He is heard imploring police to kill him as he is handcuffed by officers.
The shooting death was not the first reported incident involving Chisholm and Witt. The accused was out on a felony bond related to malicious mischief charges involving Witt, according to Kosciusko Municipal Court records. He was due to appear in court on those charges January 23, 2018. The felony status was due to the value of damage being above $1,000.
News reports from 2012 also indicated that Chisholm had previously been involved in a standoff with police in Madison County.
