Hippensteel
A hearing will be held Monday regarding the sanity of an accused killer who was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial.
Corbin W. Hippensteel, 31, is charged with murder in the Nov. 27, 2023 shooting death of Alejandro Flores. Investigators say the 54-year-old victim died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head.
After becoming unresponsive during two hearings in Bartholomew Circuit Court last December, Judge Kelly Benjamin declared Hippensteel mentally incompetent to stand trial.
On Dec. 20, the court ordered that Hippensteel be examined by two forensic mental health professionals: psychiatrist George Parker of Indianapolis and psychologist Dr. Stephanie Callaway of Midwest Forensics Services, LLC. Parker submitted his evaluation on Feb. 5, while Callaway’s findings were received on March 11.
Following the submissions, the defendant was committed to Logansport State Hospital on April 2. Three months later, the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction filed a competency evaluation with the court. The next day, on July 2, Benjamin ordered that Hippensteel be brought back to the Bartholomew County Jail.
On Aug. 5, defense attorney Joseph Villaneuva gave the court notice that he intends to use an insanity defense for his client. By Indiana law, that meant another mental health evaluation, and Callaway and Parker were again selected by Benjamin. Parker’s report regarding the issue of insanity was submitted to the court on Sept. 11, but online records indicate Callaway’s second report has not yet been submitted.
The judge will hold a status hearing at 2 p.m. Monday. This is a meeting between the prosecuting attorney and defense lawyer to facilitate the exchange of information and attempt to negotiate a possible resolution.
Hippensteel, a Jennings County native who describes himself as homeless, was staying with his grandfather at the time of the shooting, according to court documents. Police reports do not reveal any motive for the homicide, although the grandfather, Danny W. Sanders, said the defendant had been “ranting and raving and upset all day,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
“Sanders advised that Hippensteel has mental health issues and believed he had been drinking liquor since (Nov. 26) due to finding an almost empty half gallon,” a CPD detective wrote in the probable cause affidavit.
