Carter Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity In April 2019 Shooting in Pittsfield

By Benjamin Cox on September 25, 2020 at 6:24am

A Quincy man charged with attempted first degree murder in Pike County has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. 34 year old Chaz W. Carter was charged with attempted first degree murder, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, and failure to register as a sex offender on April 30th, 2019 after he shot family member Victor Delong in front of local law enforcement in Pittsfield.

A sheriff’s department report said deputies were investigating when Carter ran outside and shot Delong twice with a .40-caliber handgun. Court records said Delong was shot once in the chest and again as he turned away. According to further police reports, an officer fired at Carter but missed. Carter was later apprehended using a taser.

According to the Journal Courier, Carter’s mental fitness had been a focal point for both the defense and prosecution since early in the case. His attorney, Mark Wykoff, asked the court in August 2019 to pay for a psychiatric evaluation and State’s Attorney Zach Boren did not object. According to court documents, two psychologists agreed that Carter was mentally unfit at the time of the shooting. Pike Circuit Judge J. Frank McCartney has remanded Carter to the custody of the Department of Human Services. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 26th.