MOBILE, Ala. (WDNews) — An Alabama man accused of killing his grandmother and aunt with a chainsaw is being held without bond after a court appearance Tuesday.
Thomas Henry Steele, 47, faces two counts of capital murder in the deaths of Christy DeLoach and Dora Boone, according to court reporting.
According to the Mobile Police Department, officers responded to a home in the 2400 block of Carolina Court around 1:36 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12. They found two women dead inside and detained Steele at the scene.
A criminal complaint alleges Steele used a chainsaw to decapitate both women. Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood confirmed the victims were Steele’s grandmother and aunt and said investigators believe he lived with them.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Steele was removed from the courtroom after making an audible remark. The hearing continued, and the judge denied bond on both charges. Investigators have not released a motive.
Blackwood said the judge ordered a mental competency evaluation through the Alabama Department of Mental Health to determine whether Steele can proceed through the court system.
New reporting also describes a 911 call made shortly after 11 a.m. Monday. According to transcripts obtained by FOX10 News, a woman sought help for her nephew, saying he had stopped taking medication and was behaving unusually. She told the operator he was calm and was not violent.
The operator provided the police department’s phone number. It remains unclear whether the caller reached police afterward or exactly when the killings occurred.
Steele remains in Mobile County Metro Jail without bond.
