William Broyles deemed incompetent for trial in Nassau County family's massacre
A Nassau County man and Jacksonville church music director who told deputies he killed his family has been found mentally incompetent to go to trial.
William Conway Broyles called 911 called 911 about 7:15 a.m. last year on Dec. 1 and waited on his driveway for deputies to arrive at his Deer Run Road home. The 58-year-old said he shot his wife in the living room, then daughter in her bedroom and son in his bedroom. He even got another gun to shoot the son again, the Sheriff's Office said at the time.
Killed were Candace Lynn Broyles, 57, Cara Lynn Broyles, 27, and Aaron Christopher Broyles, 28.
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Judge James Daniel said Broyles will be transported to a Florida State Hospital for evaluation and treatment for competency restoration.
His ruling is based on the evaluation of two psychologists and their testimony in court Thursday afternoon.
What psychologists determined
Forensic psychologist Dr. Allen Harris said he last evaluated Broyles in October, observing him in his cell, not eating, lying in his bed and defecating on himself.
"He would sit on the side of his bed, looking at the floor, playing with his feet for hours and hours at a time," Harris said.
He said cannot reach a clear conclusion about Broyles' competency but recommends psychiatric hospitalization.
Dr. Jennifer Rohrer agrees with Harris. She testified Broyles' psychological and physical well-being has declined significantly over the last few months. She said it is unknown why he is psychotic or if there is an unknown medical condition involved, but hospitalization can rule that out.
“At the state hospital, he would be observed 24/7 the entire time he is there, when professional staff are there, when they are not when he doesn’t think he is observed he is being observed," Rohrer said.
The prosecution said it's hard for them to make a decision on Broyles' mental state because they believe he killed his family. The judge said the evidence is clear.
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“The defendant in this case does not have a present ability to consult with his lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding and he does not have a factual understanding of the proceedings against him," Daniel said.
Rohrer said based on her evaluations, she has provisionally diagnosed Broyles with major depressive disorder with psychotic features.
Sheriff Bill Leeper previously said there had been no prior calls to the home that he was aware of, and there were no local court records on them. The motive has never been clear.
Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church listed Broyles as its director of Music Ministries and church musician for 23 years in Jacksonville. The church website described him as happily married for 30 years. He also was listed as director of engineering at Sunoptic Technologies also in Jacksonville.
Times-Union writer Scott Butler contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: William Broyles incompetent for trial in Nassau County family's deaths
