Tyler Dan Perry, 25, accused of beating his grandmother to death with a chair in her Kent Street home on December 14, appeared in Missoula District Court on Tuesday, December 31 before Judge Karen Townsend.

KGVO News partner Emily Adamson with NBC Montana reported that a not guilty plea was entered on Perry's behalf by the court.

"Perry has two attorneys, who said a mental health evaluation is essential in this case," Adamson said. "His lawyers maintained that Perry was not fit to enter a plea during the hearing, so the judge entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. From here on in, they will do mental health evaluations and other testing to see where this case needs to go."

NBC Montana Reporter Emily Adamson

After his arrest, court documents indicated that Perry was staying with his grandmother Carol Perry, 72, in her home on West Kent Street when he picked up a chair and beat her repeatedly over the head as she was lying on the couch watching TV.

When asked about the motive for killing his grandmother, Perry replied that she had a “third eye”, and that she was “actually sucking the life out of my tyranny to fulfill a purpose for her virtue of her own insanity.” Perry denied having any previous psychiatric treatment or diagnosed mental health issues.

Perry was staying with his grandmother after coming to Missoula from Seattle several weeks ago.

Perry remains in the Missoula Counthy Jail on $250,000 bond.

 

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