Suspect In Fatal Machete Attack At Bedford Hotel Appears In Court

MANCHESTER, NH — The man accused of the gruesome murders of two men at the Country Inn & Suites in Bedford appeared in Hillsborough County Court on Wednesday.

Theodore Luckey, 42, of New Jersey was arrested shortly after police responded to the hotel and found one man who died from chopping wounds from a machete and who had been strangled to death.

Luckey was brought into the courtroom and appeared for the first time since his arrest in August 2021. The 6 foot, 7 inch Luckey was escorted into court in handcuffs and shackles by several Hillsborough County Sheriffs. As he stood next to his defense attorneys, he listened to the court clerk read the first-degree murder charges he faces as Judge William Decker listened.

Asked what plea Luckey would like to answer, his lawyer said not guilty on both charges.

Luckey faces first-degree murder charges for the deaths of 28-year-old Nathan Cashman who most recently had lived in Manchester and 60-year-old David Hanaford of Seaside Heights, NJ. Both were killed at the hotel.

Luckey was a New Jersey Department of Corrections inmate under the custody of the New Hampshire Department of Corrections facilitated through the Interstate compact process. He was in the state's custody from Oct. 11, 2016, and picked back up by the New Jersey Department of Corrections on Feb. 5, 2021. Luckey was in the NH Department of Corrections Northern NH Correctional Facility as well as the New Hampshire State Prison for Men.

Luckey had been released from prison early in New Jersey. He left prison on May 7, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections. He was released with “public health emergency credits” as part of New Jersey’s effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the prison system.

In New Jersey, Luckey pleaded guilty in 2012 to two counts of kidnapping, one count of criminal restraint, and one count of contempt. He served prison time in New Hampshire through an arrangement between the states.

A competency review involving the Bedford homicide case is currently being completed by professionals to determine if Luckey is competent to stand trial. All court documents with the details of the crime remain under seal at the request of the defense while evidence is reviewed and discovery is completed. According to the current court records a jury schedule could be scheduled for October.

Luckey will remain at Hillsborough County House of Correction until trial and is currently not eligible for bail.

Also Read

• Cops, State Police Assist Guests At Bedford Hotel Murder Scene

• NJ Man Accused Of Killing 2 In Bedford Hotel Machete Attack

• 2 People Dead At Bedford Hotel; Guest Describes 'Machete Attack’

• Police On The Scene At Bedford Hotel Investigating Incident

Watch the arraignment and description of the charges -

©Jeffrey Hastings www.frameofmindphoto.com/news