Accused to plead insanity

A Bear Rock man accused of kicking and beating his mentally retarded daughter to death before having her body burned will claim insanity and physical infirmity at trial, his lawyer said.

James Gillin, a disabled mill-worker and his wife, Roberta, are charged with criminal homicide and abuse of a corpse in the death of their adopted daughter, 25-year-old Helen Gillin, in 1992.

The Gillins were charged seven years after Helen's disappearance. The arrest came after the Gillins' natural daughter, Mary Jo Overly, went to the police with what she remembered about the day Helen died.

James Giliin, who has multiple sclerosis, has been jailed in the Fayette County Prison since his arrest in August 1999, Roberta Gillin is free on bond and expected to testify against her husband at his trial, scheduled for December,

In court documents, Gillin's lawyer, Mark Morrison, said his client is physically unable to do what police have accused him of doing. The lawyer also said Gillin is unable to tell right from wrong.