An Alabama man accused decapitating two members of his family with a chainsaw flashed a disturbing grin in his police mugshot after being arrested.
Thomas Steele, 47, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder after Christy Deloach, 65, and 85-year-old Dora Boone were found dead at their home in Mobile on Monday.
Police made the grim discovery after his aunt called 911 to report that Steele had begun ‘doing some bizarre things’ after he came off his medication.
According to transcripts reported by WBKO News, she told police that he gave away his phone and car.
‘He said he’s just going to live for God and not going to have any kind of electronics,’ she added, telling authorities Steele was bipolar and ‘off his medication for lithium’.
She also told the operator: ‘He’s calm. He’s not violent or anything. So, I guess I’ll just let it play itself out.’
Police were called to the four-bedroom home just two-and-a-half hours after the call was placed, with NBC15 reporting that Steele was detained at the scene.
He appeared in court the following day for a bond hearing on two counts of capital murder, where it was confirmed that the victims were his aunt and grandmother.
In one chilling moment during proceedings Steele was told he was being appointed a public defender, Glenn Davidson, to which he reportedly replied: ‘No. Kill him.’
Steele was subsequently escorted from the courtroom without incident, with Davidson saying that he needs to undergo medical evaluation to see if he is mentally competent enough for court proceedings to continue.
He did not rule out the possibility of a not guilty by reason of insanity plea, with the defender saying: ‘I can’t say for sure — but all signs indicate yes. It was really apparent from the outset that he had mental issues.’
Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood, after confirming the identity of the victims, said that investigators believed he lived at the property with them.
However, he refused to give further details beyond those given in the court documents.
‘What’s contained in the complaint itself speaks to the gruesome nature of this,’ he said. ‘The details of that will come out in future proceedings.’
He said of Steele’s mental state: ‘It nevertheless appears that there are some issues, but there are going to be the appropriate evaluations to establish whether or not he’s competent right now to proceed.’
If he is found unfit to stand trial, he would first need to be restored to competency before a trial could take place. If he was acquitted due to insanity, legal procedures would still be put in place to stop him being a danger to the public.
Steele has not yet entered a plea and remains in custody without bond.