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Driver accused of killing art collector in Back Bay hit-and-run deemed mentally incompetent
An attorney for William Haney said the Boston man has schizophrenia and was “delusional” at the time of the Jan. 3 collision.
The Boston driver accused of killing prominent art collector John Axelrod last month in a Back Bay hit-and-run has been deemed incompetent to stand trial, a judge ruled Friday.
William R. Haney Jr., 42, previously pleaded not guilty to murder and animal cruelty charges after he allegedly struck and killed Axelrod and his dog. Prosecutors say the Jan. 3 collision occurred as 79-year-old Axelrod walked his dog down the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
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Judge James Stanton entered the incompetence finding Friday and returned Haney to Bridgewater State Hospital, where he will undergo further examination to evaluate his criminal responsibility.
Haney will also face additional treatment in an attempt to restore his mental competency so the case may proceed, The Boston Globe reported, noting the process can take years.
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“There will be continued evaluation and his competency will be reassessed at the end of those evaluation periods,” a spokesperson for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said via email. “It’s difficult to predict the impact on timeline.”
Keith Halpern, Haney’s defense attorney, previously told Boston.com his client is diagnosed with schizophrenia and has struggled with his mental health for most of his life. Though he had been doing well on antipsychotics, a change in medications meant Haney’s condition “deteriorated” in the months leading up to the collision, Halpern explained.
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At the time of the crash, he said, Haney was “delusional” and “had no idea who Mr. Axelrod was.” Even during his January arraignment, Haney was “completely delusional” and didn’t have “any real understanding” of why he was there, according to Halpern.
“It’s an incredibly tragic case that is about mental illness,” Halpern said at the time. “It’s not about anything else.”
But prosecutors have offered a different tale: They allege Haney intentionally struck Axelrod with his car near the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Hereford Street, then fled the scene. Assistant District Attorney Ursula Knight argued in a court appearance last month that evidence shows the crash was not an accident, but a “deliberate and premeditated murder with the defendant using his Toyota SUV as the murder weapon.”
Prosecutors allege Haney stopped a passerby near the Commonwealth Avenue Mall to ask if they had seen someone wearing a red jacket and walking a dog. When the passerby pointed toward Massachusetts Avenue, Haney allegedly sped toward Axelrod.
Halpern told the Globe his client had a recurring delusion that a man was following him on the street and beating him over the head in an attempt to kill him. Somehow, he said, Axelrod became part of Haney’s delusion.
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Haney was later charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a collision causing injury or death, pleading not guilty to both counts Friday. He is due back in court April 13.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Halpern said he expects Haney will eventually be competent to stand trial.
“The problems that surround this case stem from the fact that the medication they were trying for him was no longer preventing the psychosis, and he was delusional,” Halpern said, per video from WHDH. “So given that he had years where the medication did work, my expectation is that at some point … they’ll find the right medication, he’ll be on it long enough that he’ll return to competence.”
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