BUTLER TOWNSHIP — The man accused of murdering four people in Butler Township last year was in court today to see if he is competent to stand trial.
Stephen Marlow, who is facing multiple charges, sat quietly listening as the testimony went on for four hours.
The two-day competency hearing is expected to present findings from at least three doctors who examined him.
“He was very eager to disclose to me the background of what had been happening to him the previous two years,” said Massimo Dede-Marchis, a psychologist hired by the prosecution.
Police and prosecutors say he used illegally purchased weapons to kill 41-year-old Sarah Anderson and her 15-year-old daughter Kayla inside their garage and home on August 5, 2022.
They say he then left that house and shot and killed 82-year-old Clyde Knox and his 78-year-old wife Eva.
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Investigators had witnesses tell them they spotted Marlow leaving the area. He would not be tracked down for another 36 hours, finally arrested in Lawrence, Kansas.
Court documents indicate that police serving search warrants discovered a manifesto allegedly written by Marlow where he called his neighbors “a terrorist cell” engaged in mind control.
Opinions about his mental state, awareness, and understanding are key to the hearing.
“He’s focused on this as a conduit to present his delusional belief system,” said Jamie Skins, the psychologist Hired by Marlow’s Lawyers
The second day of the competency hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
Then the judge will issue a ruling that determines whether Marlow is found competent to stand trial.
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