Accused of killing granddaughter, man found incompetent for trial

A Franklin County judge has ruled that a 73-yearold man accused of fatally shooting his granddaughter after mistaking her for an intruder is not competent to stand trial.

Booker Moody was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of 19-year-old Jordan C.V. Williams at the South Side home they shared in the 1200 block of Berkeley Road late at night on Aug. 15, 2018.

A psychologist who examined Moody determined that he suffers with dementia, making him unable to understand the case against him or to assist his attorney, and that he can't be restored to competency through treatment.

Prosecuting and defense attorneys agreed with the findings during a hearing Friday at a Thornville nursing home where Moody has lived since the time of his indictment, Prosecutor Ron O'brien said Wednesday.

Common Pleas Judge Stephen L. Mcintosh conducted the hearing at the nursing home because of concerns about transporting Moody from the facility in Perry County to the Franklin County courthouse, O'brien said.

Mcintosh found Moody incompetent based on the psychologist's report and the agreement of the attorneys. He ruled that the court will maintain jurisdiction over Moody, who will remain in the secure nursing home and be visited periodically by the court's forensic monitors, O'brien said.

Just before 11 p.m. on Aug. 15, Williams arrived home without her keys and knocked on her grandfather's first-floor bedroom window so he could come to the front door and let her in, Columbus police said.

But Moody apparently thought someone was trying to break into the house, got a shotgun and fired through the window. Williams died of her injuries.

There was a standoff as Columbus police SWAT officers surrounded the Berkeley Road house for several hours before Moody surrendered. Williams' daughter also was in the house.

During initial interviews with Columbus police detectives, Moody admitted to firing the shotgun after Williams woke him, a court affidavit stated. He told the detectives he didn't look through the window before or after firing his shotgun, court records show.

From the start, family members told police that Moody suffered with dementia. Moody