LACONIA, N.H. (AP) — A competency hearing has been canceled for a New Hampshire man accused of hacking his mother and brother to death in 2013.
The Laconia Citizen reports 34- year-old Shawn Carter of Belmont has been held at the state prison’s secure psychiatric unit for the past year. A hearing was scheduled today in Belknap County Superior Court to determine whether treatment had restored him to competency.
Authorities said Tuesday the hearing has been canceled and Carter has been committed for a five-year term.
Carter previously pleaded not guilty to first- and second-degree murder. He is accused of killing his 59-year-old mother, Priscilla Carter, and his 39-year-old brother, Timothy, in May 2013. Each suffered multiple chop wounds.
Police said Carter’s fingerprints were on an ax found in his mother’s car.
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