BRYAN, Texas — Larry Winston Bollin, the primary suspect in the Kent Moore Cabinets workplace shooting of 2021, faces multiple charges out of two counties related to assault and murder, and he has pled ‘not guilty’ to all of them.
This Wednesday, one of his lawyers filed a motion in a Grimes County court, suggesting Bollin is not mentally competent to stand trial.
“So the judge kind of looked at our motion, we talked about it awhile," relayed William "Billy' Carter, one of Bollin's court-appointed defense attorneys. "... He ordered that someone be appointed, we sent the order to him today. And it looks like he will appoint Jennifer Rockett as the mental health expert to evaluate our client.”
Carter represents Bollin in regards to his Grimes County charge of attempted capital murder against trooper Juan Tovar. Bollin is accused of shooting and injuring the trooper in Grimes County on the night of the workplace shooting, after being chased by law enforcement from the Bryan crime scene.
Bollin is also represented by local lawyer Craig Greaves, in regards to the Brazos County charge of murder, and five counts of aggravated assault. These charges stem from the 2021 shooting at Kent Moore Cabinets in Bryan, resulting in the death of employee Timothy Jackson Smith.
Both legal teams, each court-appointed to the defendant as public defenders, are concerned that Bollin is too mentally ill to work on his own case.
“If the court makes a finding that yes, he is not competent to stand trial at this point, then he has to be – you know, going to Austin State Hospital and things to regain his competency, be it medication; just where he could get back to the point where he could actually assist counsel in a defense," Greaves said.
Greaves said that Bollin is not currently in isolation while in jail, though Greaves is concerned Bollin is having mental health issues which prevent him from successfully working with any of his lawyers. Billy Carter said his team have very recently run into a similar problem.
“The information [we received about Bollin] is statements that we had been provided from the jail," said Carter. "That’s as far as I want to go – there were some recordings that we listened to that were lengthy that caused us great concern. That’s what’s got us moving in this direction."
Carter noted that if Bollin is found competent to stand trial by the court-appointed evaluator, his defense may seek to hold a competency trial down the line.
At this time, neither lawyer will comment on the nature of Bollin’s 'not guilty' pleas.
"The burden is on the state to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt," Greaves said. "There's no benefit to pleading guilty to the case. There’s no plea bargain offers on the table that would encourage me to advise him to plead guilty.”
As it stands, Larry Bollin is scheduled to stand trial for his Brazos County charges on July 11 of this year, though his lawyers believe that this date is likely to change. A trial date has not yet been set for his Grimes County charge.