SHALIMAR - Jeffrey Glenn Hutchinson will undergo additional tests to more precisely determine how his condition may have caused him to kill his girlfriend and her three children.

Hutchinson's multiple psychological disorders were caused by chemical and/or biological agents he came in contact with during the Gulf War, according to Dr. William Baumzweiger, a California-based psychiatrist.

Baumzweiger said he does not believe Hutchinson, 36, knew what he was doing when he killed Renee Flaherty, 32, and her children, Geoffrey, 8, Amanda, 6, and Logan, 4, on Sept. 11, 1998.

A judge on Tuesday granted a defense attorney's request that the state pay up to $5,000 for further medical testing on Hutchinson.

The former Army Ranger is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in the shotgun slayings, which occurred at the couple's John King Road home just south of Crestview.

Defense attorney Nickolas Peterson sought payment for a myriad of tests, including an MRI of the defendant's brain and a PET/SPECT scan to detect the amount of blood flow to the brain. Blood samples will be taken for a toxicology analysis.

Okaloosa County Circuit Judge G. Robert Barron denied a defense request that Baumzweiger be given an additional $5,000 of the state's money to cover airfare to Okaloosa County from California, and compensation for the time it takes to perform the tests and consult with the defense team.

"I'd like to be in California at the Academy Awards, but not at taxpayer expense," Barron said. "I don't know why he needs to be here."

Baumzweiger has already spent almost $4,000 of $5,000 set aside for his travel and other expenses he has incurred as a defense consultant. The tests, which can be administered by a technician, will be sent to California for analysis unless the defense can give a legitimate reason why Baumzweiger must be here.

Hutchinson, who remains in custody at the Okaloosa County Jail, is scheduled to stand trial Sept. 7. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.