Prosecutors will not seek death penalty for teen accused of decapitating mother in Franklin County
FRANKLIN COUNTY, North Carolina (WTVD) -- The Franklin County district attorney will not seek the death penalty for a Franklin County teen accused of decapitating his mother.
That's according to Oliver Machado's attorney Boyd Sturges.
"Clearly this is not your run of the mill occurrence. I think that indicates that mental health is going to be a key component and therefore is not the kind of thing that needs to be a capital case," Sturges told ABC11.
The gruesome murder March 6 at a home on Morgan Drive near Stonehill Drive just south of U.S. Highway 64. The area is east of Zebulon - near the Wake County line, in a normally quiet corner of Franklin County.
Franklin County Sheriff's Office Chief of Staff Terry Wright said Machado, 18, called 911 himself and was still on the scene when deputies arrived.
He allegedly told investigators he killed his mother because "he felt like it."
The teen - who was taken into custody without incident - is charged with first-degree murder.
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Deputies said they found 35-year-old Yesenia Funez Beatriz Machado dead inside the home. Two young girls found in the home were unharmed. A fourth child was at school when the incident happened.
According to court documents, Machado took four different medications for psychosis and schizophrenia.
Machado is currently being held in "safekeeping" as he undergoes a mental health evaluation at Central Prison while his case moves through the courts.
"He's not doing well. He's certainly, it's a very serious thing. He's certainly a very very unwell person," said Sturges.
