MOBILE, Ala. (TCN) — A 47-year-old man is behind bars without bond after allegedly killing his elderly grandmother and aunt with a chain saw.
According to the Mobile Police Department, officers responded to a home at about 1:30 pm on Oct. 12 as part of a death investigation. When they arrived, they found two women deceased and detained a man, later identified as Thomas Steele, at the scene. WBKO reports that the victims were identified as 85-year-old Dora Boone and 65-year-old Christy Deloach.
According to transcripts obtained by WALA, Deloach dialed 911 that same day at about 11 a.m. She alleged her nephew was “off his medication for lithium and I’m not sure who to call or contact. He gave away his phone … and giving his car away. Um, he’s doing some bizarre things, and I don’t know if that’s uh… good or… He says he’s just going to live for God and not going to have any kind of electronics.”
The operator asked if she needed medical help and whether her nephew was being harmful, and Deloach said, “I just needed to figure out what to do. I called 988 and tried to talk to him. He’s calm! He’s not violent or anything. So, I guess I’ll just let it play itself out,” according to WALA. The operator then gave the woman the police department’ phone number.
About 2 1/2 hours later, police responded to the home. According to WALA, both women had been decapitated with a chain saw. Another woman, reportedly with special needs, was also in the home and was not harmed.
WALA reports Deloach was a mother and that she worked as a hairdresser. Her co-worker Laurie Manning said, “She would pray with you. She would just talk to you till you got to feeling better. … She just treated everyone with such a kind soul.”
AL.com reports that during his first court appearance, Steele was asked about having a public defender represent him. The attorney, Glenn Davidson, was reportedly standing next to Steele when Steele allegedly answered the judge, “Kill him.” Steele was then removed from the courtroom.
WVTM reports the judge ordered a mental health evaluation for Steele. District Attorney Keith Blackwood told the outlet, “If there are, in fact, mental issues that arise to the highest levels where he would be not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, then there are still processes in place that we can employ in order to keep the community safe.”
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