Thomas Steele
Introduction
Thomas Steele, a 47-year-old Mobile, Alabama man, was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder on Monday, October 12, 2026, after police found his grandmother, Dora Boone, 85, and his aunt, Christy Deloach, 65, decapitated inside their shared home. The court filing accuses Steele of decapitating both women with a chainsaw, and his smiling booking photo — taken hours after the killings — drew national attention to a case that then took a second disturbing turn in court.
Background Information
Steele lived at the Mobile residence with his aunt and grandmother, according to Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood, who said at a court hearing: “What we know is or what we believe is that he lived at this residence with these family members when they were both killed.” The case against him sits on top of a documented mental-health history: his aunt told a 911 operator hours before the bodies were found that Steele was bipolar and had gone off his lithium medication. Mobile police have released no motive for the killings.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged; allegations unadjudicated. Steele faces two counts of capital murder in a filing by Mobile County District Court — accusations he has not answered at trial and is presumed innocent until convicted. His own competency to stand trial is now the open question the court must resolve first.
At around 11 a.m. on Monday, October 12, Deloach called 911 to report that her nephew had begun “doing some bizarre things” after going off his medication. “[He’s] off his medication for Lithium and I’m not sure who to call or contact. He gave away his phone…and giving his car away. Um, he’s doing some bizarre things,” she told the operator, adding that he was bipolar and “It’s in his mind. He’s following God.” She reassured the operator: “He’s calm! He’s not violent or anything. So, I guess I’ll just let it play itself out.”
Roughly two and a half hours later, police were called to the four-bedroom home and found both women dead; investigators say the two had been decapitated with a chainsaw, and Steele was allegedly waiting outside after the killings. Mobile police said Steele was arrested and transported to Metro Jail after investigators determined he used a bladed instrument to intentionally cause both deaths; the District Court filing identifies the victims as Deloach and Boone and charges him with capital murder. His mugshot, taken Monday after the arrest, shows him grinning.
Public Reaction and Consequences
Steele’s initial court appearance on Tuesday became the story’s second shock: when the judge appointed an attorney, Steele said “No,” and after a pause, said “Kill him” — then was escorted out of the courtroom. The hearing continued without him, and the judge denied bond on both capital murder charges. DA Blackwood said Steele’s mental health will be evaluated: “I’m not a psychiatrist. It nevertheless appears that there are some issues, but there are going to be the appropriate evaluations to establish whether or not he’s competent right now to proceed.” He added that if mental issues rose “to the highest levels where he would be not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, then there are still processes in place… to keep the community safe.”
Current Status
Steele is charged with two counts of capital murder and is being held without bond after the Tuesday hearing, with no trial date and no count adjudicated. A psychiatrist with the Alabama Department of Mental Health will evaluate whether he is competent to stand trial — an evaluation Blackwood said could take up to 90 days — and if he is found not competent, officials will attempt to restore competency before addressing his state of mind at the time of the killings. Prosecutors say they are prepared to handle the case no matter what the evaluation determines.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The case has drawn national coverage for its compounding horrors: a double decapitation inside a family home, a 911 call that described the warning signs without foreseeing violence, a grinning mugshot, and a courtroom outburst in which the defendant appeared to threaten the attorney just appointed to save his life. For Mobile, it has also become a test of how the courts handle a capital defendant whose competency is in question — with the state’s mental-health system, not a trial calendar, now deciding the case’s next move.
Sources
- NY Post, “Sicko flashes chilling smile after he cut off heads of grandma and aunt with chainsaw: court doc,” Oct 14, 2026 — source
- FOX 10 (WALA), “Mobile man denied bond in chainsaw killings of grandmother, aunt,” Oct 13, 2026 — source
- AL.com, “Man arrested after 2 female relatives decapitated with chainsaw in Alabama home,” Oct 2026 — source
- WVTM 13, “Alabama man accused in chainsaw killing of grandmother, aunt,” Oct 14, 2026 — source