The U.S. government's case against a Maine man charged with mailing cyanide to a suicidal Englishman has ground to a halt because of an overdue mental health evaluation.
An attorney for Sidney Kilmartin of Windham filed a notice of intent to use an insanity defence in March. Kilmartin has pleaded not guilty to charges of mailing cyanide that resulted in the death of Andrew Denton, a depressed 49-year-old man in Hull, England. Denton was found dead in 2012.
Kilmartin has a history of mental illness and the case hinges on his mental health evaluation. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office says the court hoped to have Kilmartin's evaluation by Aug. 7. Prosecutor Halsey Frank says the report has not arrived.
Kilmartin faces a maximum life sentence.
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