ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — The son of a former aide to President George W. Bush has pleaded guilty to killing a friend with a hatchet and will be committed to a state psychiatric facility.
The Washington Post reports (http://wapo.st/1ts0YFO) that 21-year-old Claude Alexander Allen III of Gaithersburg pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder in the slaying of 25-year-old Michael Phillip Harvey. Montgomery Circuit Court Judge Terrence McGann cited doctors’ findings in ruling that Allen was not criminally responsible.
The ruling means Allen will be held in a state psychiatric facility.
Prosecutors say that on May 23, 2013, Allen struck Harvey five times in the neck and head in Allen’s parents’ home. A state psychiatrist’s report said the attack was sparked by Allen’s delusions.
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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com
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