Judge orders suspension of criminal proceedings in Lewis murders

Robert Lewis of Cherokee County Okla., the man accused of killing two Sharp County residents,Quinley Lamb and Brian Shackleford, as well as his girlfriend Deanna Tippey and burying their bodies near his trailer appeared in Cherokee County District Court Oct. 31.

Lewis, who faces three counts of murder in the first degree with deliberate intent has seen his trial has moved several times, however; the move in this case follows a filing by his attorney Velia Lopez who filed an application for determination of competency which was shortly followed by an order for a hearing of determination of competency.

While in court Oct. 31, Judge Joshua King ordered Lewis be taken for mental observation and evaluation for determination of competency.

Prior to the court proceedings, King had been served with a copy of the findings of a private phycologist retained by Lopez for Lewis and her findings regarding visits with Lewis prior to the filings earlier in October.

King ordered several stipulations to the upcoming evaluation for Lewis including “a qualified forensic examiner, as defined in 22 Okla. Stat 1175.1 (5), designated by the Department, shall examine the defendant..,” court documents state.

Additional orders included all available reports regarding Lewis be made available to the examiner to assist in making the determination.

King ordered that the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department be the responsible party to transport Lewis to and from the Oklahoma Forensic Center in Vinita Oklahoma, which is not the same company hired by Lewis and his attorney for the initial filing.

Prior to the Post Evaluation Competency Hearing, a written report has been ordered to be returned to the judge, Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office and Lopez.

All criminal proceedings against Lewis with regards to the murders have been suspended until further order of the court.

The Post Evaluation Competency Hearing is slated to take place Dec. 7 at 9 a.m.