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Thread: William Conway Broyles Ruled Incompetent for Trial In 2021 FL Triple Murder

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    William Conway Broyles Ruled Incompetent for Trial In 2021 FL Triple Murder


    William Conway Broyles


    Nassau man accused of killing wife, daughter, son indicted for 1st-degree murder

    William Broyles’ arraignment set for Jan. 27

    Frank Powers, Assignment manager
    Nick Jones, Senior producer

    NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – A court document obtained Wednesday by News4JAX shows William Broyles, the Nassau County man accused of fatally shooting his wife, daughter and son at their home in Callahan, has been indicted on three counts of first-degree murder.

    Broyles, court records show, is set for arraignment on Jan. 27.

    According to Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper, Broyles fatally shot his 57-year-old wife, 27-year-old daughter and 28-year-old son in December of last year.

    “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.

    Leeper noted no history of domestic issues at the address where the family lived.

    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.

    https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/...degree-murder/
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    State seeks death penalty against man accused of killing wife, adult children in their Callahan home

    By ActionNewsJax.com News Staff

    NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — The state said it intends to seek the death penalty against a Nassau County man accused of killing his wife and two of his adult children inside their Callahan home in December.

    William Conway Broyles’ alleged murders of his family members “were committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification,” the state said in its “Notice of Intent to Seek Death Penalty and Notice of Aggravating Factors,” which was filed on Jan. 26.

    Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said Broyles called 911 on Dec. 1 after he shot and killed his wife, 57-year-old Candace L. Broyles, his daughter, 27-year-old Cora Lynn Broyles and his son, 28-year-old Aaron Christopher Broyles.

    Broyles was originally charged with three counts of second-degree murder, but his charges were upgraded to first-degree murder on Jan. 14 when he was indicted by the Nassau County grand jury.

    Cora Broyles may have had autism, Leeper said at the time of the shootings.

    In its death penalty filing on Broyles, the state says, “The victim of the capital felony was particularly vulnerable due to advanced age or disability, or because the defendant stood in a position of familial or custodial authority over the victim (Count 2).”

    Broyles has previously pleaded not guilty and has waived his appearance at any scheduled pre-trial hearings. He is being held in the Nassau County Jail on no bond.

    https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/l...F5JJCNYRHQG2E/
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    Attorney: Doctor says man accused of killing wife, 2 adult children isn’t competent for trial

    By Joe MacLean and Francine Frazier
    news4JAX.com

    NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – The man accused of fatally shooting his wife and their adult daughter and son at their Nassau County home in December should be found not competent to stand trial, according to a doctor who evaluated William Broyles, his attorney told a Nassau County judge on Thursday.

    Broyles’ attorney, Richard Kurtiz, said he plans to have a psychologist evaluate Broyles also before he officially files motions with the court to have Broyles deemed incompetent for prosecution.

    Judge James Daniel acknowledged the dilemma Kuritz is in as a deadline approaches for him to waive speedy trial for his client in the murder case, something Broyles can’t do if he’s deemed incompetent.

    The prosecutor said he anticipates the state will want its own independent doctors to evaluate Broyles, but he can’t determine that for sure until he sees the defense’s motions.

    The state attorney’s office has told Broyles it will seek the death penalty.

    Broyles appeared in court Thursday via Zoom from the jail but did not speak. He will appear in court again on April 7 to update the status of the evaluations and what motions his attorney will be filing.

    Broyles was indicted in January on three counts of first-degree murder. He is accused of fatally shooting his 57-year-old wife, 27-year-old daughter and 28-year-old son in December 2021 in their home.

    Nassau County Sheriff Bill 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.

    https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/...ent-for-trial/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
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    Nassau County man accused of killing his family will have third mental health evaluation

    Investigators say William Broyles admitted to killing his family. If he's deemed competent to stand trial, he could get the death penalty

    By Tobie Neil Perkins
    First Coast News

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Lawyers for the Nassau County man who investigators say admitted to killing his wife and two children on Dec. 1, 2021, have claimed he is unfit to stand trial and requested a doctor's evaluation -- for the third time.

    During a case management hearing in March, the attorney for William Broyles, 57, told the court that a doctor had declared Broyles incompetent.

    Broyles has already been evaluated by two doctors, and a third doctor will judge his competency in three weeks, his attorney said during a Zoom hearing Wednesday morning. The doctor's evaluation was originally supposed to be delivered during that hearing, but the doctor had COVID-19, the attorney said.

    The deadline has now been moved to July 14.

    If Broyles is deemed fit to stand trial, he could face the death penalty.

    In January 2022, the state of Florida, through Assistant State Attorney Melissa W. Nelson, released a notice of intent to seek the death penalty on all three murder counts.

    To seek the death penalty, the state must determine "aggravating circumstances," that make the crime so severe it warrants a death penalty case. The notice says that the crimes were committed in a "cold, calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense or legal justification," and that Broyles' alleged victims were particularly vulnerable to him due to their trust in him as a family member.

    If Broyles goes to trial and is found guilty, as in any death penalty case in Florida, all 12 jurors must agree on recommending the death penalty. Even if he is found guilty, if all 12 jurors do not agree, he would instead face life in prison without parole.

    The case against Broyles

    Though deputies say Broyles admitting to killing his family, he was the one who called 911 when they were shot.

    Police say they found Broyles' wife, Candice Lynn Broyles, his daughter, Cara Lynn Broyles, and his son, Aaron Christopher Broyles, when they arrived to the family's home in the 55000 block of Deer Run Road.

    When police arrived at the home, Broyles was laying down in the driveway, Nassau County sheriff's deputies said. When he was arrested, deputies said that Broyles confessed to murdering all three of his family members, saying he shot them multiple times to "make sure they did not suffer."

    Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said Broyles shot his wife, Candice Lynn Broyles, 57, in the living room area. According to Leeper, he then moved to his daughter's room, Cara Lynn Broyles, 27, where he shot her as she was first waking up.

    Leeper described Cara Lynn Broyles as possibly having high functioning autism.

    William Broyles then proceeded to bust through the bedroom door of his son's room and shoot him, Leeper said. William Broyles then left the room to get another gun and came back and shot his son again, Leeper said.

    Broyles was known by neighbors as a man who "kept to himself." He was the longtime Those closed to him called him Bill, and he was a prominent member of the Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church community, serving as Director of Music Ministries for 23 years. Even Sheriff Leeper said that this was an unexpected crime.

    When Broyles was arrested, Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church posted:

    "It is with tremendous sadness that I report to you that this Wednesday morning Bill Broyles, our Director of Music, confessed to shooting his wife and two of his children. Bill has been part of our church staff for 23 years, and this was completely out of character. We mourn this devastating loss to the church, Bill’s remaining family, and the larger community. We ask that you would hold the members of the Broyles family, our church family, and Bill himself in your prayers regarding this tragedy."

    Broyles will have his next appearance on July 14 and his attorneys are expected to deliver an opinion on his ability to stand trial.

    https://www.firstcoastnews.com/artic...0-5a11a200d470
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Edited:

    Mental competency claims raised by attorneys in high-profile Jacksonville-area death cases

    In 2 of 5 cases, attorneys say psychologists determined their client is not competent for prosecution

    By Erik Avanier
    News4JAX.com

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Attorneys who are representing defendants in five high-profile Northeast Florida cases that involve charges of either manslaughter or murder have brought into question their client’s mental competency, and some have requested evaluations.

    In Nassau County, William Broyles is facing a possible death penalty. He’s accused of murdering his wife and two grown children. Court records show he’s had three evaluations — and two psychologists have said he’s not competent to stand trial. A mental competency hearing has been scheduled for later this year.

    “Often, they will pull in an expert like me, a psychologist or a psychiatrist to render a second or even a third opinion to the court if there is a disagreement about the first one or the first two,” explained Dr. Justin D’Arienzo, a forensic psychologist.

    Apart from the cases mentioned above, many other cases exist. D’Arienzo has been called to evaluate a number of defendants who are facing death row.

    “Sometimes there’s a contagion in the system where people are talking to each other and they’re using these same pleas. But it’s probably a strategy to delay one’s case,” he explained.

    But if the strategy is to delay a case or avoid being sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty — Dr. D’Arienzo noted that only 20% of people are actually found incompetent after an evaluation.

    “It says most people are faking being incompetent,” D’Arienzo said.

    A mental evaluation can take up to three hours to complete, and in some cases, there’s more than one evaluation performed. And sometimes, there are disagreements over the results of those evaluations, which can slow down the judicial process and delay the case.

    D’Arienzo says insanity and incompetency pleas often get a bad name because they’re overused, but he also says it’s a necessary tool because there are defendants who legitimately meet the criteria.

    The difference between the two? When a person is incompetent to stand trial, they’re mentally incapable of understanding the legal process against them. An insanity defense is admitting guilt to a crime, but also saying the crime was committed because of a mental illness.

    https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/07/22/mental-competency-claims-raised-by-attorneys-in-high-profile-jacksonville-area-death-cases/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Judge finds Nassau County man not competent to stand trial in murders of wife, 2 adult children

    By Erik Avanier
    News4JAX.com

    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 William 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.

    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.

    https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/...ent-for-trial/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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