Judge sets competency hearing for man accused of Butler Twp. quadruple murder

DAYTON — A competency hearing has been set for the man accused of killing four people in Butler Twp. last August.

>> PHOTOS: 4 killed after shooting in Butler Twp. neighborhood

A Montgomery County Common Pleas Court judge has scheduled a competency hearing for September 18 and 19 for Stephen Marlow, according to court records filed Wednesday.

Marlow has previously undergone three competency evaluations.

The previous one was due back in court on May 17.

The second one was due back in March and the first one was submitted on Feb. 1.

Marlow, 39, entered an insanity plea in December.

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Marlow is facing 12 counts of aggravated murder for the killings of Clyde and Eva Knox, and Sarah and Kayla Anderson. He was also indicted on eight counts of aggravated burglary and one count each of having weapons while under disability and tampering with evidence.

He’s accused of shooting and killing all four of them at their residences on Aug. 5.

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After a nationwide manhunt, he was taken into custody by police in Lawrence, Kansas just over 24 hours after the shooting.

The charges Marlow is facing, in addition to three Aggravating Circumstance Specifications attached to each aggravated murder count, makes him eligible for the death penalty, Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck, Jr. said in a news conference on Nov. 10.

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“The death penalty is not something we ask for in many cases at all. The death penalty should be reserved for the most horrific and shocking crimes. This case certainly meets that criteria,” Heck previously said.

Marlow remains booked in the Montgomery County Jail on a $10 million bond.

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