Rochester man accused of attempted murder to be held without bail
Theodore Labelle appeared at Wareham District Court for a dangerousness hearing Friday, Aug. 14. Photo by Grace Roche
Theodore Labelle appeared at Wareham District Court for a dangerousness hearing Friday, Aug. 14. Photo by Grace Roche
WAREHAM — Theodore Labelle, a Rochester man accused of two counts of attempted murder among other charges, will be held without bail after a judge ruled he is too dangerous to release.
While Daniel Pond, Labelle’s attorney, requested he be granted release on the condition that he is placed in a secure mental health facility, Judge Teresa Lamarre ruled Labelle be held without bail at a Friday, Aug. 14 dangerousness hearing at Wareham District Court.
Labelle was arrested Friday, Aug. 7 after reports that he attempted to strangle and gouge out the eyes of his 38-year-old girlfriend and struck his 55-year-old cousin with an axe.
Along with two counts of attempted murder, Labelle is also charged with two counts each of assault to maim, domestic assault and battery, and mayhem. He has also been charged with strangulation/suffocation, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and kidnapping.
His girlfriend is currently at Rhode Island Hospital awaiting surgery for her left eye. Doctors said she will have permanent double vision in that eye at best, and may have to wear an eye patch for an extended period of time.
His cousin needed three staples and 12 stitches for the cuts he sustained.
Because of the "egregious" and “severe” crimes Labelle has been accused of, prosecutors argued he should not be granted release on any terms.
They also pointed to a past domestic violence complaint Labelle’s girlfriend filed against him several years ago — which was later dismissed but remains on his record — and past mixed martial arts training as additional reasons he is too dangerous for release.
Pond argued his client needs significant mental health treatment. He described Labelle as zombie-like and detached from reality, which he said points to a severe mental illness.
Labelle had been receiving counseling for PTSD before his arrest, and in a police report several witnesses described him as different from his normal self in the preceding weeks. It remains unclear if Labelle has been diagnosed with any mental illnesses, but the court approved a request for a psychological expert as a witness for the case.
He will return to court on Sept. 11 for a probable cause hearing.
