Alleged Groton Killer Found Competent To Stand Trial

GROTON, MA — A recent college graduate charged with fatally beating his mother, grandparents and their caretaker with a baseball bat in Groton has been found competent to stand trial.

Twenty-two-year-old Orion Krause has completed a 40-day mental health evaluation, but he will remain at Bridgewater State Hospital. He is charged with four counts of murder and has pleaded not guilty.

Judge Margaret Guzman ordered Friday that records of the mental health evaluation remain sealed.

Edward Wayland, Krause's attorney, said he asked for his client to be kept at Bridgewater to help ensure he continues to receive his medications and treatment.

Krause was naked and covered in mud and cuts when officers found him at a neighbor's house, according to the documents.

Authorities say Krause told officers he "freed them."

Photo: Orion Krause, right, stands with his attorney Edward Wayland at Krause's arraignment in Ayer District Court in Ayer, Mass., Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. Krause, of Rockport, Maine, was ordered held without bail at Bridgewater State Hospital pending a competency hearing at his arraignment on murder charges Monday in Ayer. (Josh Reynolds/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)