MUNCIE, Ind. — Delaware Circuit Court 1 Judge Marianne Vorhees ruled that a Muncie man was competent to stand trial for sexual abuse allegations.
Larry Lee Viellieux (34), was charged with six counts each of child molestation and four counts each of child exploitation in June 2021. Five of the molesting allegations, which involve pre-teen girls, are Level I felonies that can carry maximum 40-year sentences.
Vorhees were told by a local psychologist that Viellieux showed “a total lack of willingness to participate in evaluation process”. This was after Joe Hunter, the defense attorney, suggested that his client was not competent to help in his defense.
Viellieux was seen sitting in a wheelchair and staring at the empty gallery of the courtroom, never speaking and hardly moving during that hearing.Richmond State Hospital reported that Viellieux was “likely competent” for trial. Viellieux was last seen there for six months.
In a memorandum that was later sent, Deputy Prosecutor Diane Frye stated that the Muncie man “clearly understands the charges, the trial process, and can assist his attorney, [if he chooses] to do so.”
Vorhees, who retired on Dec. 31, after serving two decades on Circuit Court 1’s bench, issued a ruling four days earlier that Viellieux was competent for trial.
She observed that he interacted normally and with others, except when the subject of criminal charges was brought up.
She wrote that “The fact (Viellieux), is unwilling to help in his defense may prove unwise, but is not a basis for finding him incompetent to stand trial.”
Judi Calhoun, Vorhees’ successor, will preside over the Muncie man’s trial.
