NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – A man charged with killing his wife and two of their adult children inside their Nassau County home last year was found not competent for prosecution Thursday.
Nassau County Judge James Daniel ruled that William Broyles “had no rational understanding of the proceedings against him” and was therefore not competent to stand trial in the three murders.
Broyles was found originally found “no longer competent” by a psychologist in July and had a total of three mental competency evaluations before Thursday’s hearing. All three psychologists who examined Broyles testified in court Thursday afternoon.
Related: Who is William Broyles, Nassau man accused of killing wife, daughter & son?
Two psychologists hired by defense lawyers both agreed that Broyles was suffering from major depressive disorder with psychotic features. A psychologist hired by the state said he could not complete a diagnosis because of Broyles’ rapidly deteriorating condition.
After listening to the psychologists’ testimony, Daniel ruled that Broyles was not competent for prosecution. He’ll be remanded into the custody of DCF at the Florida State Hospital in Macclenny for restoration treatment.
Broyles, who was indicted in January on three counts of first-degree murder, is accused of fatally shooting his 57-year-old wife, 27-year-old daughter and 28-year-old son in December in their home.
The couple’s third child, another adult son, no longer lived in the home and was not there at the time.
Broyles called 911 himself and laid down on the driveway as deputies moved to arrest him.
Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said when deputies asked Broyles why he didn’t kill himself, his response was he was “too scared to do that.”
While a possible motive for the killings has not been revealed, Leeper said that before the shooting there was no history of domestic problems at that address.
“This case is just tragic. It just, it’s crazy. It just doesn’t make sense,” Leeper said in a news conference following the shooting.
As revealed in December on the staff page of Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church, Broyles was listed as the church’s director of music ministries. His name has since been removed from the page. The staff page stated that Broyles had been its church musician for 23 years, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering and has worked in the aerospace and medical device industries.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, prosecutors have told Broyles they intend to pursue the death penalty if he is convicted.
