PANAMA CITY — A Fountain man accused of plotting to bind and torture his girlfriend in an attempt to kill her will undergo mental evaluations to determine whether he is fit to stand trial, according to court documents.
Paul Thomas Carhart, 63, received an order Friday for an expert competency evaluation. His attorney also waived his right to a speedy trial as the evaluation proceeds.
Carhart was arrested while attempting to leave a Greenbriar Drive home in his car when Bay County deputies arrived at 3:40 a.m. on Aug. 18. A small group of people in the neighborhood were pointing frantically at the car and calling out for the officers to prevent him from getting away, according to BCSO reports.
When deputies spoke with Carhart, he stated he intended to kill his girlfriend, Nancy Helms, and had fantasized about it for months, police said. He planned first to mutilate and torture her using various tools in front of a mirror so she would be forced to watch, BCSO reported.
Helms said for nearly four hours she struggled against Carhart, attempting to escape to a neighbor’s home. She had been beaten and strangled, her head slammed on the concrete, after Carhart allegedly attacked her when he was asked to move out, she said.
Carhart allegedly also tried to duct tape her hands and told authorities he intended to torture Helms before a bathroom mirror so she could watch her demise, BCSO said.
EMS arrived and began to administer aid to Helms in a neighbor’s home. She appeared to be in severe pain and going in and out of consciousness from having been struck several times in the face, BCSO reported.
BCSO deputies were able to stop Carhart and put him in a patrol car, where he told them he had hurt his girlfriend, the officers reported.
Carhart was charged with attempted felony murder and false imprisonment. He remains in custody on a combined $150,000 bond. A pretrial conference was scheduled in April to hear the results of his mental evaluation.