Overview
- William R. Haney Jr., 42, was charged with murder and animal cruelty in the Saturday incident on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall that killed John P. Axelrod, 79, and his dog.
- Prosecutors said in court that the driver intentionally drove onto the pedestrian mall and described the case as deliberate and premeditated murder.
- A court clinician reported Haney has a mental illness and recommended a competency evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital, which the judge ordered.
- Haney pleaded not guilty and was held without bail, with the next court date set for Jan. 23.
- Investigators say Haney fled, discarded the dog’s leash at a Beacon Street Dunkin', abandoned a heavily damaged SUV found in Brookline, met his brother, and then surrendered, while no motive has been disclosed.