https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/oct/24/in-mental-exam-man-called-blast-suicide/Ricky Carter, 28, told a psychologist last month that he blew up the Paris home where he caused the death of a toddler because he had no other means of killing himself, according to the man's mental evaluation.
"In light of the available information, I do not believe Mr. Carter's mental state was substantially impaired by a mental disease or defect at the time of the alleged offenses," clinical psychologist Melissa Dannacher wrote in her report dated Oct. 15.
Dannacher also concluded in the report that Carter had the ability to appreciate the criminality of his behavior, had the capacity to act lawfully and had "the capacity to form the culpable mental state required to establish an element of the offenses charged."
Carter is accused in the Dec. 21 death of 2-year-old Ryatt Reese, the son of Carter's girlfriend Julie Haney. Carter was watching the child while Haney worked a night job.
Carter told police that Ryatt had become sick and threw up twice and that he cleaned up the child each time.
Ryatt usually would lie down by himself to be changed, but that night he was giving Carter trouble, so Carter yanked Ryatt by the ankles and the child fell back, hitting his head on the floor.
Ryatt lost consciousness and Carter's attempts at cardiopulmonary resuscitation -- which he didn't know how to do properly -- were unsuccessful, according to reports.
"'Once I come to terms with, you know, he's dead, just wanted to kill myself. Didn't have a pistol or a gun, you know. Didn't have anything to hang myself with. I don't know. It just popped in my head, blow yourself up,'" he said in the report.
Afterward, Carter told police the explosion was an accident and occurred when he went to light a cigarette. When police told him his story was improbable, he said he caused the explosion in an attempt to cover up Ryatt's death, even though he maintained that the child's death was an accident.
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