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Site SearchSmithfield, N.C. — A December court hearing has been scheduled to determine if a Clayton man charged with killing his 4-year-old daughter is sane.
John Patrick Violette is charged with first-degree murder in the Jan. 12 death of Katlin Violette. Her mother found the girl's decapitated body in the family home when she returned from work.
John Violette was arrested the following day at a Washington, D.C., hotel. U.S. marshals said Violette was quoting the Bible and screaming uncontrollably when they arrested him.
The sanity hearing is being held at the request of defense attorneys. They previously sought a mental exam for Violette at Dorothea Dix Hospital.
If the judge handling the hearing rules that Violette is insane, he would be committed to an asylum and wouldn't stand trial.
Violette is being held at Central Prison.
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