A man with a background in state politics accused earlier this year of murder is back in Madison County Jail.

According to court documents, Kyle Hayden Lewter, 36, was released from the custody of the Alabama Department of Public Health on Oct. 9.

A status hearing is scheduled in his case for Oct. 17.

Lewter, who had several connections to Republican politics in north Alabama, allegedly sodomized his victim with a plunger on March 6 before killing him, according to court documents.

He is charged with murder and sexual torture in the March 6 death of 54-year-old Harvest resident Derek Franklin Walls. The suspect and victim knew each other, according to authorities.

He is accused of killing Walls with a hammer.

Earlier this year, Lewter’s lawyers argued in documents that he has severe mental health issues. He reportedly “went berzerk” while in jail and hallucinated seeing his parents and a state senator he worked for as a campaign manager.

Lewter displayed manic behavior and had to be restrained by jail officials, according to court documents.

Lewter was identified in a 2022 social media post as the chairman of Madison County Young Republicans. He also reportedly had a paid position with state Sen. Tom Butler and said in a 2017 interview that he worked on campaigns for ex-U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks and former U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions.