Attorney speaks on why trial for Kentucky woman accused of cooking mother’s body stalled

ROBERTSON COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — The trial for the Robertson County woman accused of dismembering and cooking her mother’s body faces delays due to evidence backlogs, budget issues, and psychological evaluations.

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Torilena Fields appeared before a Robertson County judge on Monday morning, July 14, for the first time since March. She was arrested in October 2024 after Kentucky State Police troopers discovered a grisly scene on Brierly Ridge Road.

Two men came to do some work for her mother, Trudy, and instead found body parts and a bloody mattress behind the home. Court documents elaborate on the scene inside, where authorities found the dog’s body and parts of Trudy’s in a large pot inside the “still warm” oven.

State examiner finds Fields ‘competent,’ judge to decide

Since March 10, Fields has undergone a court-mandated psychiatric evaluation after her attorney raised questions about Fields’ ability to “appreciate the nature and consequences of the proceedings” or to participate in her defense.

Fitzer alluded to the day before and the day that Fields was arrested as evidence of her mental state at the time.

“The day prior to the incident, witnesses saw the defendant attempting to ‘cast spells’ on them,” she wrote. “When the police came on the scene after the body was found, the Commonwealth alleges the Defendant did not exit the home voluntarily, was seen speaking ‘gibberish’ and attempting to cast spells on the robot deployed by the special response team.”

Family members told FOX 56 in October 2024 that Fields was involved in a motorcycle accident while she lived in California that potentially caused brain damage. She’d only been home in Robertson County for a few months.

“It was a surprise to all of us that she was back here, and we think that Trudy was trying to help her with whatever she had going on mentally,” Olivia Brock, Fields’ cousin, said.

Further, Fitzer noted that Fields had been found incompetent to stand trial for charges in California at some point in 2024. Court documents note that these records are confidential.

“So if the judge says we’re going to have them evaluated, it has to be done by KCPC. If it’s a felony, we don’t get a choice in that, and I will put my personal views aside. But generally speaking, you know, it’s a recommendation,” she explained.

Although the records are confidential, prosecutors said in Monday’s hearing that it’s Dr. Timothy Allen’s opinion that Fields is competent to stand trial. But Fitzer plans to challenge that assertion.

“Then the judge is the ultimate determiner. So he determines whether or not she’s competent by law.”

To do so, he’ll take into account the state’s examination and the defense team’s in a confidential competency hearing.

“We actually have our own independent doctor do an evaluation. And that’s, in my opinion, more thorough. He reviews a whole lot. He talks with us, and actually tends to meet with my client a lot longer, and then he will also issue a report. We’ll give that over to the Commonwealth, and then we’ll have a confidential hearing,” Fitzer explained.

She said her professional opinion hasn’t changed since she filed the initial motion.

“Competency is definitely still an issue,” she said.

However, that wasn’t Attorney Laura Fitzer’s sole focus today.

Attorney pressures investigators to turn over evidence

“It’s unusual,” Fitzer described the speed at which discovery is moving. “I’m not sure why they aren’t giving it to us.”

In a legal context, discovery is the stage of pre-trial preparations where evidence is exchanged. On Friday before the hearing, Fitzer filed a motion requesting several specific pieces of evidence and sets of data.

“There’s no reason why we should not have them. I am frustrated. Also, I recognize that I get a little heated, I can get that, I think it’s frustrating that I’ve had, let’s see, 1,100 cases in the last few years and have never had to file a motion to view the evidence before. I don’t see what the reasoning is,” Fitzer stressed.

Here’s a look at the key evidence Fitzer said she’s yet to receive.

• 911 calls, calls for service, and Computer-Aided Dispatch records related to the Fields home for the eight weeks before Trudy’s death
• Testing results on the gun and gun holster belonging to the man who reportedly found Trudy’s body and called 911
• Trail camera footage
• Security footage from a neighbor
• Cell phone data
• Medical examiner’s report
• Ability to view physical evidence in possession of Kentucky State Police recovered from the home

Prosecutors hinted at some of the items booked as evidence that’s in the state police’s possession, including an axe, shoes, a rake, and a rake handle. These items reportedly haven’t been sent to the lab yet.

Further, they argued that:

• No calls were made in the eight-week timeframe before Trudy’s death.
• The gun and holster have been sent off for fingerprinting and DNA testing.
  • No timeline on when these would be available to the defense.
• Trail camera recordings belonging to Trudy and security footage only depict the driveway and were provided in discovery.
• The neighbor’s security footage is in the process of being turned over to prosecutors.
• Trudy’s phone has been sent off for fingerprinting and DNA analysis. Prosecutors note that blood was found on the phone.
• Data from Fields’ phone is “forthcoming.”
• Investigators also previously obtained Fields’ sister, Telby’s, cell phone.
• The medical examiner is tendering its final report.
• Body camera footage, house scans, and blood stain analysis are forthcoming.

Once the prosecution has the requested items, they will have 10 days to turn them over to the defense. But even when it’s sent to the lab for testing, it’s unclear when results will come back.

“There’s so much to be tested here. It’s going to take quite a while. It’s more of a frustration about resources for the state. It’s a budget issue. Not a Commonwealth issue. I don’t think this is the prosecutor dragging his feet on trying to get the testing done. I think that it’s just, unfortunately, we have such a backlog,” Fitzer said. “So, unfortunately, they just don’t have enough people and enough funding to be able to do it as quickly as we would expect.”

But for now, the case is on pause. Although Fitzer expects a competency hearing to be scheduled soon.