Prosecution seeks more time for mental health eval for Meigs Co. 15-year-old accused of murdering her father

From WBIR: As they ponder whether to seek her transfer to adult court, Meigs County prosecutors are asking a judge for more time to finalize health evaluations for a 15-year-old girl accused of killing her father.

Ninth Judicial District Attorney General Russell Johnson filed a motion to extend the time in Evalett High's case in Meigs County Juvenile Court. Authorities allege Evalett shot and killed her dad in June as he slept because he'd taken her phone away and he was trying to keep her from her boyfriend, records show.
The state might want to ask Judge Casey Stokes to transfer the teen to adult court. But first it needs several more months to review mental health testing and evaluations, Johnson wrote in the Aug. 20 motion.

Another option the state may consider: A new law that allows for a "blended" sentence that allows prosecutors to try some young defendants as “serious youth offenders” who can be given both juvenile and adult sentences, according to the Tennessee Bar Association.

Testing has been delayed as authorities wait to receive student records from the Meigs County school system, Johnson's motion states. There also was a setback when an initial order filed in the case was rejected.

Evalett is in juvenile custody awaiting prosecution. Stokes already has found probable cause to believe she murdered her father, records state. The question is whether she'll face trial as an adult.

Her mother is incarcerated outside Tennessee, court records show.

Evalett, who will be 16 in November, called 911 after shooting her dad in the middle of the night in their Gunstocker Road home.

She also talked to authorities about what she'd done.

"It was during this interview she disclosed that she went to bed angry about her father taking away her phone and trying to keep her away from her boyfriend," juvenile court records state. "She explained that she later woke up and was still angry. She prepped her gun by loading it, checked on her younger brother, and debated in her room for about 20 minutes with the gun. It was after this she decided to walk into the living room where her father, Richard High, regularly slept, and shot him in the head."

WBIR sued this summer to get records in the case and to be present for the teen's court hearings. 10News isn't showing her image while she's held as a juvenile.

WBIR is naming her because of the extraordinary nature of the case.