Judge orders inpatient evaluation for accused nephew as questions remain about emergency-call timeline
by SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
MOBILE — A judge has ordered emergency inpatient treatment and a competency evaluation for the man accused of killing his grandmother and aunt, as a previously reported 911 call adds questions to the timeline preceding their deaths.
Thomas Henry Steele, 47, faces two capital murder charges in the Oct. 12 deaths of Dora Boone, 85, and Christy Deloach, 65, at a Carolina Court home. Investigators allege he killed both women with a chainsaw. He has not been convicted.
An Oct. 16 order by Circuit Judge S. Wesley Pipes directed Steele’s commitment to the Alabama Department of Mental Health for treatment and evaluation.
According to FOX10 and NBC 15, the judge determined an outpatient assessment was no longer sufficient after Steele’s condition deteriorated. The order required transportation by Oct. 20; the reporting reviewed did not confirm the transfer occurred.
Separately, FOX10 obtained a transcript of a 911 call made after 11 a.m. on the day of the killings. A woman reported concerns about her nephew’s behavior and said she did not know whom to contact.
The dispatcher asked whether medical help was needed and later provided a police department telephone number, FOX10 reported.
The station said it remained unclear whether the caller subsequently reached police or exactly when the women were killed. The available reporting does not establish that a different emergency response would have prevented their deaths.
Friends also are remembering Deloach’s life beyond the investigation. She worked at Mr. Sam’s Hair Fashion for nearly 20 years.
“If you were down, she’d pick you up,” coworker Lenny Zanghi told FOX10.
Steele remains subject to a no-bond order. A competency evaluation assesses his ability to understand the proceedings and assist his defense; it does not determine guilt or criminal responsibility.