Boston man charged with murder of John P. Axelrod not competent to stand trial

The Boston man charged with first-degree murder and animal cruelty for allegedly running down and killing prominent art collector John P. Axelrod last month was found not competent to stand trial, for now.

Axelrod, a 79-year-old honorary advisor and longtime donor to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, was out walking his dog in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood around 8 a.m. on January 3 when a Toyota SUV struck him. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

William R. Haney was arrested about an hour after the incident by police in Brookline, a town outside of Boston, after meeting up with his brother, who walked him into the Brookline Police Department headquarters and told police he had been in an accident.

Judge James Martin Stanton on Friday ordered Haney to return to Bridgewater State Hospital, where he remains held without bail, according to court information reviewed by Urgent Matter.

Boston man charged with murder of collector John P. Axelrod

Axelrod, 79, was killed Saturday while walking his dog.

Urgent MatterAdam Schrader

Stanton also allowed defense attorneys to conduct a criminal responsibility evaluation to determine Haney’s mental state at the time of the incident, and to preserve phone call recordings involving Brookline Police.

Keith Halpern, Haney’s attorney, has said his client and Axelrod lived in the same neighborhood but that there’s no indication they knew each other, the Boston Globe reported.

He said Haney has an extensive history of mental health issues and that a change to his antipsychotic medications months before the incident led him to experience delusions.

Haney is scheduled to return to court at 9 a.m. local time on April 13 for a status review. He has pleaded not guilty to his charges.

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