Mental health evaluation ordered for driver accused of killing prominent Boston arts collector
The driver accused by police of intentionally killing a 79-year-old man walking his dog in Boston on Saturday morning was ordered held without bail and will undergo a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation after his lawyer stated he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia in the past.
William Haney, 42, faces charges of murder and cruelty to animals in connection with the fatal crash. He appeared during his arraignment in the Central Division of Boston Municipal Court on Monday.
Judge Joseph Griffin ordered Haney evaluated for his competency to stand trial.
Prosecutors said Haney "targeted" 79-year-old John Axelrod as he was walking his dog on Commonwealth Avenue Mall, a pedestrian walkway, at around 8 a.m. on Saturday.
A bystander told police Haney had pulled over and asked if the person had seen a man walking his dog and wearing "a red jacket," prosecutors said in court. Haney then drove onto the pedestrian walkway to find Axelrod, struck him and his dog, then fled the scene, prosecutors said.
Boston police found Axelrod with serious injuries at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Hereford Street. He was brought to a hospital and later pronounced dead, police said. His dog also died.
Officers obtained the registration information for the car involved in the crash, and Brookline police found the car unoccupied later that day.
Surveillance footage showed Haney making a stop at a Dunkin' at around 8:13 a.m., just minutes after the crash, prosecutors said, then throwing away a leash belonging to Axelrod's dog. Boston police announced his arrest on Sunday.
Outside the courtroom on Monday, Haney's lawyer, Keith Halpern, told reporters his client has struggled with mental illness for some time, is diagnosed with schizophrenia and cannot tell the difference "between fantasy and reality."
Halpern had requested his client's appearance waived for the arraignment and said Haney "doesn't have the capacity to understand what this proceeding is about," which the judge denied.
During the hearing, a court-ordered clinician said she requested a mental health evaluation for Haney after speaking with him. She said that Haney's medication had changed in August and he's had a difficult time since.
The clinician also said Haney expressed numerous paranoid illusions and appeared to be hearing hallucinations. He did not understand that he is being charged with murder, the clinician told the judge.
Axelrod was a longtime donor to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), and an MFA Honorary Advisor, according to the museum. During his more than four decades of involvement with the MFA, he donated several collections of 20th century European decorative arts and 377 pieces of American Modern design from the 1920s and '30s. The museum's John Axelrod Gallery was named in his honor in 2009 and features the latter collection.
"A generous supporter and passionate advocate for underrepresented artists, John had been a part of the MFA family since the 1980s," the statement reads.
"His legacy will live on at the Museum through the John Axelrod Collection — a transformative acquisition of nearly 70 works by Black artists, including Archibald Motley, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Alan Rohan Crite, Loïs Mailou Jones, and Kerry James Marshall."
Homicide detectives are still investigating Axelrod's death. They ask that anyone with information relevant to the investigation call them at (617) 343-4470 or submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-494-TIPS, texting the word "TIP" to 27463 or online at police.boston.gov/crimestoppers/ .
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