Indiana County President Judge William Martin has ordered all court proceedings against Todd Walters stayed and canceled Walters’ scheduled appearance tomorrow for Criminal Call.
The 38-year-old Walters is charged with criminal homicide for the beating death of his mother, 72-year-old retired IUP professor Ruth Shirey, at her home in Indiana in February of 2015. Shirey died at the Indiana Regional Medical Center hours after she was found at her home on Diamond Avenue and Walters was arrested while driving her car later that day outside of Altoona. After mental evaluation, Walters was deemed unfit for trial and ordered to undergo treatment at Torrance State Hospital in August of 2015. The judge ruled last year that he was finally fit for trial.
In his ruling entered into the record yesterday, Judge Martin wrote that a Status Conference was held on Tuesday. He ordered the case removed from Criminal Call and noted that due to Walters “unavailability”, all proceedings be stayed.
