CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW)- A Clarksville man who admitted to Clarksville Police that he executed his wife and two young children has been deemed competent to stand trial by Judge William Goodman.

Jordan Hazel, 30, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder for the shooting deaths of his 23-year-old wife, Keara Hazel and their two children Kayden Hazel, 3-years-old, and Jaylynn Hazel, 9-months-old.

Clarksville Police responded to the family’s home on Mills Drive on September 14, 2017, at approximately 10:48 a.m. where they discovered the woman and two young children shot to death. During the investigation, Jordan Hazel admitted to Detective McClintock that he had murdered his family.

 

Confession

In his confession, he told Detective McClintock that his wife had been having trouble with “money and bills.” He said he talked to his brother, father and grandmother  before the shooting.

Hazel also admitted the following details:

  • He purchased the shot gun used to kill his family off the street, had a friend keep it due to his prior conviction and went to get the gun from the friend under the pretense he was going to sell it.
  • He loaded the gun in the driveway of their Mills Drive home and then went inside and killed his wife.
  • He told police, “I was thinking it would solve problems for everybody.” and that “I would get my life back.”
  • He went back to the friend’s home who  kept the gun, before returning to his home and shooting both his young children.
  • He made no mention of voices coming through the radio or television, of being a “federal agent” or other hallucinations he later mentioned in interviews with mental health professionals during his interview with Det. McClintock
  • Several mental health doctors who interviewed him for psychiatric evaluations after his arrest described him as having a history with  multiple drugs, refusing to take medication, talkative, displaying emotions at times, alert, rational, logical, aware of current events, yet delusional. Each doctor had their own conclusion as to his competence.

Ability vs. Choice

On June 9, Hazel had a mental competency hearing to determine if he was mentally capable of being involved with the defense of his case as it moved towards trial.

Jordan Hazel 30, is charged with the shooting death of his wife and two children.
Roger Nell questions Cindy Soliz, the mother of Jordan Hazel about her son’s mental health.
Dr. David Scott Crawford testifies about Jordan Hazel’s incompetency to stand trial for the triple homicide of his family.

His attorney, Public Defender Roger Nell, asserted that in the almost three years he’s been representing Hazel, he has not been able to assist in Hazel’s defense due to Hazel exhibiting severe mental issues including delusions and hallucinations. Nell presented witnesses who attested that Hazel spoke gibberish, often referred to government conspiracies, numbers and .

Kimberly Lund, assistant district attorney, countered during the hearing,  that Hazel is competent to stand trial but chooses not to assist in the defense of his case.

Following the hearing which lasted approximately seven hours, Judge Goodman said he would review evidence and will revisit the case and  hand down a judgment on July 13.

The 10-page order filed by Judge Goodman,  noted the following conclusions from all the evidence he viewed:

  • Hazel willingly discussed in detail the facts of his case with each of the mental health professionals sharing with each his account of receiving messages from the radio and television and the facts relating to his involvement with the federal government and other facts which were viewed as delusions.  As time progressed, Hazel would tell mental health professionals that his family was “artificial” and later would relate beliefs relating to numbers.
  • The ability of Hazel to consult with counsel and not the willingness to consult with counsel is the issue. The court finds due to various mental health professionals and team members’ testimonies Hazel has made a decision as to the nature of his conversations or lack thereof with the investigator while deciding to speak freely with others.
  • Hazel displays a willingness to communicate with mental health professionals but unwilling to communicate with representatives of his own defense team. The fact he is unwilling to assist in his own defense does not indicate he actually lacks the ability to do so.
  • Dr. Norman stated Hazel showed no behavior which interfered with his ability to relate to him and would thus be able to adequately assist his counsel if he so chooses.

A trial date is scheduled for August 24 with a trial conference on August 12.