The Latest: Decapitation suspect in country illegally
ZEBULON, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on a man accused of decapitating his mother (all times local):
7:45 p.m.
A federal official says an 18-year-old man accused of decapitating his mother was in the country illegally.
The suspect was charged with first-degree murder Monday after authorities say he called 911 to say he had killed his mother. He is being transferred to Central Prison in Raleigh, and his next court appearance is scheduled for March 14.
Bryan Cox, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a news release that the suspect was from Honduras and was in the country illegally. Cox said that federal records list his name as Oliver Funes Machado. His public defender, C. Boyd Sturges III, said his second last name is listed as Machada in local court records.
3:45 p.m.
The attorney for a man accused of decapitating his mother says his client has "some substantial mental health issues."
A judge on Tuesday assigned attorney C. Boyd Sturges III of Louisburg to represent 18-year-old Oliver Funes Machada. Sturges said he spoke with Funes Machada for about an hour in the Franklin County jail.
Sturges said while he's not a doctor, he could see that Funes Machada was "a pretty profoundly disturbed young man."
Funes Machada was to be transferred to Central Prison in Raleigh under a safekeeping order. Sturges said the prison is in a better position to help people with mental health issues.
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3:15 p.m.
The North Carolina man accused of decapitating his mother has been assigned an attorney.
Franklin County District Attorney Mike Waters said 18-year-old Oliver Funes Machada made his first court appearance on Tuesday. Waters said a judge signed a safekeeping order that would lead to a transfer for Funes Machada from the county jail to Central Prison in Raleigh.
The judge also assigned Funes Machada an attorney. Waters said Louisburg attorney C. Boyd Sturges III would represent Funes Machada. Sturges wasn't immediately available for comment.
Also, Waters said he is reviewing the 911 tapes to determine how much of them could be released without violating the defendant's right to a fair trial.
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11:30 a.m.
North Carolina prosecutors will seek a mental evaluation of an 18-year-old man charged with decapitating his mother at a home east of Raleigh.
Eighteen-year-old Oliver Funes Machada was charged with first-degree murder Monday after a deputy responding to a 911 call saw the man walk out of a home in Zebulon with his mother's head in one hand and what appeared to be a large knife in the other hand.
Deputies found the body of 35-year-old Yesenia Funez Beatriz Machado in the home.
Franklin County District Attorney Mike Waters told WRAL-TV (http://bit.ly/2lAtCb7 ) on Tuesday it could take weeks to months to determine Funes Machada's mental state.
He was ordered held on Tuesday. His next court appearance is scheduled March 14.
Sheriff Kent Winstead said two children in the home were not hurt.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that the suspect's last name is Funes Machada
