Editor’s Note: This story originally said that Mitchell Hughes was found not guilty by reason of incompetency. After clarifying with Judge Stacy Nowicki-Elridge’s office, 13 News edited this story to reflect that the judge accepted forensic findings of incompetence from a doctor after a motion filed by the defense.

BOONE COUNTY, WV (WOWK) — According to the Office of Judge Stacy Nowicki-Elridge, the defense in a case of a man accused of killing a pregnant woman and her unborn child filed a motion to accept findings of forensic evaluations.

Mitchell Hughes, of Racine, was charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of 22-year-old Ashley Goad and her unborn child, who her loved ones said she planned to name Kenneth.

Goad was shot outside her home in Comfort, West Virginia on Oct. 18, 2021. Following the shooting, the suspect left the scene, leading authorities on a manhunt to Kanawha State Forest where he was arrested later that night.

At the time of the shooting, authorities told 13 News they did not believe there was any connection between Goads and Hughes. 

Hughes will be in Sharpe Hospital in Weston where he will stay until further notice. There is a status hearing scheduled for May 31 to see if he is getting the proper treatment.

Hughes had been arrested in the past for murder and conspiracy charges back in March of 2017. In that case, he served nine months for charges of involuntary manslaughter after running over a man with his vehicle.

His pretrial was rescheduled for Wednesday in March. It was rescheduled after a judge expressed concerns about the prosecutor’s office’s handling of the case.