Mental evaluation ordered for man charged with Joliet nursing home attack

A former Joliet nursing home resident charged with the aggravated battery of a fellow resident who died will undergo an evaluation to determine whether he is fit to stand trial.

On Wednesday, Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak signed an order requesting that the mental health unit of Will County Court Services conduct an examination of William Paschall, 71, a former New Lenox resident.

Paschall lived at the Salem Village Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Joliet until his arrest on a charge of the Nov. 17 first-degree murder of Michael Pappas, 61, a fellow nursing home resident.

However, Paschall later was indicted on only two counts of aggravated battery. In a court filing, prosecutors said a preliminary autopsy report deemed the cause of Pappas’ death as “undetermined.”

The incident led to one of Pappas’ siblings filing a lawsuit against Salem Village.

Bertani-Tomczak ordered an evaluation of Paschall after the parties in his case agreed that there was a “bona fide doubt” as to his ability to stand trial, court records show.

A court hearing has been set for March 7 regarding a report on Paschall’s evaluation.

Paschall’s court file cited another case that showed the Illinois Office of State Guardian had been appointed as a temporary guardian of him in 2022.

The appointment occurred after an attorney petitioned for a guardian for Paschall in 2020. The attorney cited a medical issue afflicting Paschall that caused memory issues and an inability to handle financial obligations.

The attorney’s petition was filed about seven months after Paschall was sued by North Shore Bank. The company claimed that Paschall failed to fulfill the terms of his contract and he owed about $16,377.

Paschall’s attorneys had requested an extension to respond to the company’s lawsuit because he was undergoing examination by a physician regarding his mental capabilities. The lawsuit was dismissed April 11, 2022 after no one appeared in court, according to court records.

The Office of State Guardian had been appointed as Paschall’s guardian after a family member declined the appointment and no one else stepped forward to serve as his guardian, court records show.

In an Aug. 12, 2022, court order, a judge noted that Paschall had been “placed at a skilled nursing facility.”