Toby Willis Update: Attorney Says Toby May Not Be Competent To Stand Trial, Hearing Reset For Fourth Time

Fans of The Willis Clan have been anxiously waiting for family patriarch Toby Willis to finally have a hearing regarding allegations that he raped a young family member roughly 12 years ago. However, for the fourth time since his September 9 arrest, Willis’ hearing has been postponed. This time, the postponement was at the request of Toby’s defense lawyer, who says the father-of-12 may not be competent to stand trial and needs a psychiatric evaluation. The judge agreed and the hearing was rescheduled until March 1, 2017.

The Tennessean reports that Willis family fans and supporters will have to wait at least three more months to hear Toby Willis respond to allegations of raping an unnamed 9- to 10-year-old female family member. The father-of-12 was arrested on September 9 of this year for charges of raping a minor. The alleged rape reportedly happened in 2004 while Toby was staying with the family member in a Nashville hotel.

Toby Willis’s Attorney asks for continuance of trial https://t.co/urBYk9SvBb

— The Tennessean (@Tennessean) December 1, 2016

Investigators note that the rape was reported to them on August 29 and enough evidence was found for an arrest warrant to be issued on September 9. However, Toby Willis reportedly fled his home in a bid to escape arrest and hitchhiked his way to Kentucky where he was eventually found and arrested. He has since been extradited back to Tennessee.

Though Willis is back in Tennessee, The Willis Clan fans still have no closure regarding the case as the preliminary hearing has been postponed four separate times. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Toby Willis waived his right to his initial preliminary hearing which, by law, would have ensured he had a preliminary hearing within 10 days of arrest. After waiving the 10-day preliminary hearing, Willis’ has been slated to appear in court on three separate occasions, but each hearing has been subsequently postponed due to absent judges or at the request of his defense lawyer.

The most recently scheduled hearing date was set for November 2, 2016. Instead of having the hearing, Toby Willis’ lawyer requested that the hearing be postponed as he had reason to “question” whether Toby was “competent” to stand trial or not. The lawyer noted that the competency came into question during conversations he had with Willis and also claims he had informed the prosecution of his concerns prior to the hearing date. Therefore, the lawyer says that Toby should undergo a psychological evaluation which could take up to three months. In turn, the judge postponed the hearing until March 1, 2017, to allow time for the psychological evaluations.

Court docs: Relative accused Toby Willis of child rape #Court #Legal #Law https://t.co/dt3jWsgulv

— PrMediaLink (@PrMediaLink) December 13, 2016

Though Cheatham County General Sessions judge Philip Maxey ultimately ruled to postpone the hearing once again, he did note that the case has been “sitting too long” already and it must “move along.” However, due to the “seriousness of the crimes” in question, Maxey said he would grant the postponement.

“We’ve got to move this case along. It’s been sitting too long already.”

With the Toby Willis case postponed once more, many fans are getting restless for answers. The Willis Clan has halted all public performances and deleted all of their social media accounts noting that the family needs time for healing. Brenda Willis, Toby’s wife, released a statement shortly after the arrest noting that the family was giving the District Attorney their “complete support.”

“I was shocked and devastated by the revelation of events leading to Toby Willis’ arrest. As these are very trying times for the Willis family, I kindly ask all to respect our family’s privacy. As a mother of twelve, my first priority remains with my children and helping them through this traumatic event. We are cancelling all appearances for the foreseeable future to focus on the children and their well-being. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We have, and will continue, to fully cooperate with law enforcement officials and ask that you direct all inquiries regarding Toby Willis’ case to the District Attorney’s office who have our complete support.”

What do you think about the fourth postponement of the Toby Willis rape case?

[Featured Image via Facebook/The Willis Family]