Attorneys for the 18-year-old Antrim man who was indicted on murder charges in September filed a notice of insanity defense in December, which preserves the option for the attorneys to argue that his actions were caused by a mental condition, denying criminal responsibility his conduct. Joseph Beam, 18, was indicted by the Hillsborough County Grand Jury this September in connection with the death of his father, Jason Beam. Beam allegedly killed his father with a hammer and knife on Nov. 1, 2019.
Joseph Beam, 18, was according to a press release sent by the state Department of Justice on Thursday. Joseph Beam faces one count of first-degree murder for “physically assaulting” his father “multiple times with a hammer and knife” on Nov. 1, 2019.
Although Beam pled not guilty to the charge, “Mr. Beam’s demeanor and behavior on November 1, 2019 and the days and months beforehand suggest that Mr. Beam was suffering from a mental disease or defect at the time he allegedly assaulted his father,” public defenders Hanna Kinne and Pamela Jones wrote in the Dec. 11 notice. The purpose of the notice was to alert the court and prosecutors that Beam may defend his case accordingly, they wrote. “Joseph Beam may present a defense that the charged conduct was the product of a mental disease or defect,” they wrote.
There is a status conference for the case scheduled for Jan. 21.