PANAMA CITY — A man on death row for the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl has asked for a chance at life, though he previously requested his execution be expedited.
Matthew Caylor, 38, has been on death row since being convicted in 2009 of raping and killing 13-year-old Melinda Hinson in a Panama City motel room. Caylor strangled the girl with a phone chord, then hid the body under his bed, placing the bed frame on her head.
In letters to his attorney and Judge James Fensom, Caylor said he was ready to give Hinson’s family “what they want,” he wrote. However, Caylor said Friday he has changed his mind and wants to live to appeal his case.
“I need help,” Caylor told the court. “I can’t explain when I go into these mood swings; it’s almost like I can’t help how I’m feeling.”
Caylor said he wanted to continue to appeal his sentence of death and his attorney requested he be prescribed appropriate mood-stabilizing medication for the process.
During one of his “mood swings” in April, Caylor wrote Fensom to say he wanted to dismiss his attorney, waive his right to post-conviction appeals and be executed.
“I ask that you consider my request and allow me to move on to whatever is next,” Caylor wrote. “It has to be better than the last 38 years here.”
At that time Fensom ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Caylor to determine his competency to make such a decision, according to court records. The psychiatrist testified Caylor wrote the letter from the depths of a depressed state.
“He was not competent, but at the same time he did state he did not want to waive his right to appeal,” said Barry Crown, a psychologist. “He only did that when he was depressed and wanted to end things by state suicide.”
The court granted Caylor’s request to retain counsel, continue with his appeal and suggested a mood-stabilizer regiment to address his mood swings.