The capital-murder case against a Lead Hill man accused of shooting his mother and a family friend is expected to be on hold for a few months while he undergoes a mental evaluation.
Glen Froehlich, 35, was charged in October in the shooting deaths of Helen Froehlich, 61, and Frank Simpson, 60.
The bodies were found Oct. 3 after bake-sale organizers called the Boone County sheriff's office saying they hadn't been able to reach Helen Froehlich since Oct. 1.
Two weeks earlier, concerned about his "mental state," Helen Froehlich had asked her son to stop sleeping in a house that was being built on her property, according to Sheriff Mike Moore and an affidavit from Sgt. Jason Brisco with the sheriff's office.
Glen Froehlich responded by threatening her, firing a rifle into the ground and going back into the house, according to the affidavit filed in Boone County Circuit Court.
Deputies responded, "but he ran off into the woods," Moore said.
On Thursday, Froehlich's public defenders filed a motion asking for a fitness-to-proceed evaluation for their client.
In a court hearing Friday, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Wes Bradford said orders needed to be presented to Circuit Judge John Putman for his approval, and court proceedings would be suspended until the report is completed.
Tim Bunch, who heads the public defender office for Arkansas' 14th Judicial Circuit, said it will probably take two or three months to complete the evaluation. Bunch said Froehlich's public defenders are John Russo and Robby Golden.
"As a matter of course, a fitness-to-proceed request is routinely granted," Bunch said. "It's almost universally granted."
Bunch said mental evaluations include two components: fitness to proceed and criminal responsibility. Thursday's motion regarded only fitness to proceed, he said.
The evaluation concerns "his ability to understand the charges against him and to communicate with his attorney," said Bunch.
Froehlich was arrested on the night of Oct. 3 after a five-hour standoff with police in which no shots were fired.
The victims died at least a day or two before being found Oct. 3 by Deputy Peter McCollough and Albert Froehlich, Glen Froehlich's father, according to the affidavit.
Albert Froehlich is a truck driver who returned home Oct. 3 about the same time that McCollough arrived at the couple's house, according to the affidavit.
Helen Froehlich was shot while she was in bed watching television, according to the affidavit. Simpson, who lived in an apartment in the Froehlichs' barn, was shot while sitting behind a desk at a computer.
Twelve spent shell casings from a Chinese SKS 7.62x39mm rifle were found at the scene of the shootings, according to the court filing.
Two dogs at the foot of Helen Froehlich's bed had also been shot. In addition to two counts of capital murder, Glen Froehlich was charged with two counts of cruelty to animals, being a felon in possession of a firearm and being a habitual offender.
Glen Froehlich also is charged with aggravated assault over an episode Sept. 19, when he reportedly threatened his mother and fired a shot into the ground.
"Albert said Glen had been acting like a crazy person, and when he was asked to leave, Glen grabbed a loaded .30-06 rifle and started yelling and screaming with the rifle in his hands," according to the affidavit. "Albert said Glen then fired one round at the ground and went back inside the residence."
Glen Froehlich told his father he "was going to get" his mother, according to the court document.
He pleaded innocent to all the charges. Froehlich remains in the Boone County jail with no bail set.
Metro on 01/23/2016