‘Kill Him’: Thomas Steele Removed From Mobile Courtroom as Judge Orders Competency Evaluation

MOBILE, Ala. — A Mobile man charged with capital murder in the deaths of his grandmother and aunt was removed from a courtroom Tuesday after he calmly said “Kill him” during his first court appearance, moments after a judge took up the question of who would represent him. The judge denied bond and ordered a mental competency evaluation for Thomas Steele, a step that will pause the case for weeks or months while state mental health professionals examine him.

Steele, 47, is charged with two counts of capital murder in the deaths of Dora Boone and Christy DeLoach, who were found dead Monday afternoon, Oct. 12, inside a home on Carolina Court in west Mobile. He has not been convicted of any crime and is presumed innocent.

Two words in a courtroom

Steele appeared Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 13, before Mobile County Circuit Judge Wesley Pipes for his initial appearance and bond hearing, about 24 hours after his arrest. He was heavily shackled, according to reporters who were in the courtroom.

Before Steele was brought in, Pipes told security officers to be ready and to “remove him immediately” if he acted out. “I don’t know if he’ll cooperate or not,” the judge said.

When Pipes asked whether Steele had been able to hire a lawyer, Steele answered, “No.” The judge then turned to the appointment of defense attorney Glenn Davidson, who was standing beside Steele. After a brief pause, Steele said, “Kill him.”

He did not shout, and there was no physical struggle. Pipes ordered him removed, and officers escorted him out of the courtroom without incident.

Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood described the moment briefly after the hearing. “While Steele was in court, he made some kind of audible remark and he was removed from the courtroom without incident,” Blackwood said.

Asked whether he had ever heard a defendant respond that way to the appointment of a lawyer, Blackwood said, “Over the years, I’ve heard a lot in the courtroom.” He added: “This is a case that we are prepared to prosecute whichever path it goes.”

Davidson told the court he believed a mental health evaluation for his client was appropriate. He declined to comment after the hearing.

What the charges allege

Mobile police said officers were called at about 1:36 p.m. Monday to the 2400 block of Carolina Court for a death investigation. They found two women dead inside the home and detained Steele at the scene. He was booked into Mobile County Metro Jail on two counts of murder, and the charges were upgraded Tuesday to capital murder.

A criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Mobile County District Court alleges that Steele killed both women with a chainsaw “by one act or pursuant to one scheme or course of conduct.” Court records list the Carolina Court home as Steele’s residence, and Blackwood said investigators believe he lived there with the two women.

Blackwood declined to describe the scene beyond what is in the complaint. “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.” Authorities have not offered a motive. Blackwood said his office is still gathering information about Steele, including any criminal record and his work history.

Earlier Monday, shortly after 11 a.m., a woman called 911 to say her nephew was off his lithium medication and acting strangely, according to call transcripts reported Tuesday. She told the operator he was “calm” and “not violent,” and she was given the police department’s phone number. Blackwood acknowledged that medication came up in a 911 call connected to the case, but he would not confirm anything about Steele’s psychiatric history. It is not clear whether the caller reached police or how much time passed before the deaths.

Why a judge ordered a competency evaluation

Pipes ordered Steele evaluated through the Alabama Department of Mental Health to determine whether he is mentally competent to stand trial. Blackwood, noting that he is not a psychiatrist, said, “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.”

Competency is a narrow legal question that looks at the defendant’s condition now, not at the time of the alleged crime. Under the U.S. Constitution, a person cannot be tried if he is unable to understand the proceedings against him or to help his lawyer with his defense. In Alabama, the process is governed by Rule 11 of the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure. When a judge finds reasonable grounds to question a defendant’s competency, the court orders an examination, and mental health professionals report their findings back to the judge, who makes the final decision.

Blackwood said the evaluation could take 30, 60 or as long as 90 days. If Steele is found competent, the case would move ahead. If he is found incompetent, the criminal case would be put on hold while he receives treatment intended to restore his competency. “When the defendant is restored to competency or if he is already competent, then this would move to a preliminary hearing,” Blackwood said.

The Alabama Department of Mental Health handles court-ordered forensic evaluations and treatment for defendants across the state. Its forensic hospital, Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility in Tuscaloosa, serves people committed through the criminal courts.

Competency is not the same as an insanity defense

Blackwood stressed that whether Steele can stand trial now is a different question from what his state of mind was when the women died. If Steele is found competent, a later evaluation would look at his mental state at the time of the killings.

Under Alabama law, a defendant may be found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect if, at the time of the offense and as a result of a severe mental disease or defect, he was unable to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of his actions. It is an affirmative defense, which means the defense must raise it and prove it to a jury by clear and convincing evidence. Such verdicts are uncommon.

A verdict of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect does not mean a defendant simply walks free. Alabama law provides for hearings that can lead to commitment to the Department of Mental Health when a person found not guilty on that basis is considered a danger to himself or others.

Blackwood addressed that possibility directly. “If there are, in fact, mental issues that arise to the highest levels where he is ruled not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, there are processes in place we can employ to keep the community safe from something like this happening at his hands again, which is what he is alleged to have done at this point,” he said.

Capital murder and bond in Alabama

Steele is charged under the section of Alabama’s capital murder statute that covers the killing of two or more people by one act or as part of one scheme or course of conduct. Capital murder is the most serious charge in the state’s criminal code. A conviction carries one of two sentences: life in prison without the possibility of parole or death. Prosecutors have not said what punishment they would seek, and such decisions typically come much later in a case.

The Alabama Constitution guarantees bail before trial in most cases, but it makes an exception for capital offenses when the proof is evident or the presumption great. Pipes ordered Steele held without bond. Blackwood referred questions about where Steele is being housed within Metro Jail to the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, which runs the jail.

What happens next

Here is how the case is expected to move forward:

• Competency evaluation: The Alabama Department of Mental Health will examine Steele, a process the district attorney estimated could take 30 to 90 days.
• Competency ruling: The judge will decide whether Steele is competent to proceed. If not, he would undergo treatment aimed at restoring competency before the case resumes.
• Preliminary hearing: If and when Steele is competent, a judge would hold a preliminary hearing to decide whether there is probable cause to send the case to a grand jury. No date has been set.
• Grand jury: In Alabama, a felony case generally must be presented to a grand jury, which decides whether to return an indictment.
• Arraignment and trial: If Steele is indicted, he would be arraigned in Mobile County Circuit Court, where he could enter a plea, including a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

A neighborhood still in disbelief

On Carolina Court, neighbors were still struggling to understand what happened. Neighbor Candi Allen described the women as kind and said they often worked outside in their yard.

“I just I’m still in unbelief that somebody could take a chainsaw and murder somebody,” Allen said.

Allen said she walked past the house Tuesday morning. “To see it and to know that that happened there is horrific,” she said. She described Steele as someone who stood apart in the neighborhood. “He would walk around but he would never make eye contact with anybody. He wouldn’t wave to you if he was in the car and you waved to him. Just very different,” she said.

According to a source cited in Tuesday’s reports, a woman with special needs was also in the home at the time and was not harmed.

Mobile police continue to ask anyone with information about the case to call 251-208-7211 or text an anonymous tip to 844-251-0644. Read our earlier coverage of the investigation and arrest.

Mental health advocates note that people living with mental illness are far more likely to be victims of violence than to commit it. Anyone worried about a family member in a mental health crisis can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which can connect callers with local crisis help. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.