Found Deceased NH - Celina Cass, 11, Stewartstown, 25 July 2011 #12 *Arrest*

[Indy Anna]

Article in The New Hampshire Sunday News on April 2 referencing insanity defense in NH and featuring a photo of WN. Am not computer literate enough to post a link, but can list the highlights on this thread if anyone is interested.

Could not find that article. The most recent I found is dated 4/1/2017 from the NH Union Leader:

http://www.unionleader.com/Insanity-findings-in-NH-murders-becoming-a-common-result

<snipped>

In New Hampshire, a person who is declared incompetent in a criminal case can be ordered into involuntary treatment for up to 12 months in an effort to restore competency. If treatment with psychotropic drugs and psychotherapy doesn't help, a person can be deemed "non-restorable."

[...]

By law, such inmates are granted hearings at least every five years, more often if their particular case warrants. If they can prove they can live in a less-restrictive setting and psychiatrists and a judge agree, they could be transferred to the New Hampshire Hospital.

In some cases, inmates eventually earn release, where they are placed on probation and monitored by a local mental health agency. If they violate the terms of their conditional release, they can be returned to a a secure psychiatric unit.

 

[Kiln Wood]

Could not find that article. The most recent I found is dated 4/1/2017 from the NH Union Leader:

http://www.unionleader.com/Insanity-findings-in-NH-murders-becoming-a-common-result

<snipped>

That's it--THANKS!

 

[screecher]

"non-restorable"....such an appropriate term.

Thank you.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

 

[iamnotagolem]

This whole case is so sad, it's what brought me to websleuths. What an incredibly sad, short life Celina lived.

 

[chimpface]

Still no justice for Celina.

Not sure if this was ever posted but here is the affidavit for anyone who's interested.

3SLancasterD17022716290.pdf

 

[Bodhi]

Still no justice for Celina.

Not sure if this was ever posted but here is the affidavit for anyone who's interested.

3SLancasterD17022716290.pdf

Thank you! I was thinking about Celina yesterday and wondering if the case had ever moved forward.

 

[CluelessWonder]

This whole case is so sad, it's what brought me to websleuths. What an incredibly sad, short life Celina lived.

Celina's tragic death caused me to go away from Websleuths for a bit. She deserved better.

 

[Bodhi]

I know what you mean. When I think about Celina, it reminds me that too many children whose names we will never know are growing up in similar circumstances, kids who are vulnerable as a consequence of parents' decisions and priorities. Every child deserves to be cherished, and I'm sure Celina was loved. She needed more than that, though. She needed her welfare to be a priority for her parents and extended family. She should have been protected from people like her stepfather and the frequent visitors he attracted. I am heartsick for the overlooked, vulnerable children. I don't have contact with children these days no that my kids are young adults. When they were in school, though, I tried to be observant for signs a child was in quiet distress without being overt or paranoid.

Adults in Celina's life knew her stepfather's past violence and his obsessive interest in his prior girlfriend's young daughters. Did her parents? I have no idea if it was common knowledge around the area or if his family or the parents' friends warned them. But whether they knew specifics of history or not, it seems clear to me from in the arrest affidavit and articles published years later (linked in preceding posts) that the environment in the household was inappropriate for young girls. WN doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who hid his proclivities behind his charm. IMO he seems like a guy who just puts in out there because he doesn't recognize his preoccupations as aberrant or because he doesn't have the wherewithal to control himself and hide it. Explicit conversation were normal in the household, WN abused alcohol daily while taking psychiatric medications for severe mental illness, watched *advertiser censored* around the children. Celina's father told reporters after the arrest that he'd been alarmed when he visited to see his daughters were sleeping on an air mattress in the basement, rather than on the 2nd floor where the adults slept. The arrest affidavit makes it sound as if WN passed the day by calling LC, his half-brother, and his buddies 5-6 times a day. His social media and friendships revolved around sex. It doesn't seem WN had much else to discuss with his buddies.

I hope Celina's murder was a wake-up call to parents to prioritize their children's welfare and for non-custodial and extended family members to look out for children.

 

[cocomod]

Accused murderer's competency questioned in death of Celina Cass

Accused murderer's competency questioned in death of Celina Cass

BERLIN — A judge on Tuesday held off scheduling a probable cause hearing for Wendell Noyes, accused of killing his 11-year-old stepdaughter, because Noyes has been detained in the New Hampshire State Hospital after being deemed incompetent to stand trial last November on an unrelated matter.

 

[cvaldez1975]

paywall but

Stepfather charged with 2011 murder of Celina Cass

 

[Betty P]

paywall but

Stepfather charged with 2011 murder of Celina Cass

Hallelujah! Finally.

I'll never understand why this took so long. Why did this creep get such preferential treatment by the prosecution? The murder was in 2011, the grand jury hearing was in 2012.

Noyes was arrested on a charge of criminal trespassing in October 2015. A state police van was observed outside Noyes home in February, though authorities would not comment at the time why it was there or what law enforcement personnel were doing there.

He apparently spent a short period of time in a mental hospital in 2012, but has since been free.

The guy is practically a hobo, but everyone in the criminal justice system treats him like royalty. Why?

 

[Shamrock1]

Hallelujah! Finally.

I'll never understand why this took so long. Why did this creep get such preferential treatment by the prosecution? The murder was in 2011, the grand jury hearing was in 2012.



He apparently spent a short period of time in a mental hospital in 2012, but has since been free.

The guy is practically a hobo, but everyone in the criminal justice system treats him like royalty. Why?

I don’t think he’s getting “royal” treatment - it can get complicated with competency issues.

Whereabouts of accused killer Wendell Noyes is guarded in secrecy

From 2017:
Charges Dropped Against NH Man Accused Of Killing 11-Year-Old Stepdaughter

Analysis: Competency Ruling In Celina Cass Murder Case 'Very Unusual'

 

[iamnotagolem]

What kills me is everyone thought Wendell killed Celina but it took forever for him to be named as suspect. This is the slowest moving case ever and one of the weirdest ones I’ve ever followed.

 

[katydid23]

What kills me is everyone thought Wendell killed Celina but it took forever for him to be named as suspect. This is the slowest moving case ever and one of the weirdest ones I’ve ever followed.

I totally agree. There was a very obvious suspect from day one, and it took 11 years to get to trial, so far.

 

[Bodhi]

No one is charged in the murder of Celina Cass. It's unlikely there will ever be a prosecution.

Celina's stepfather Wendell Noyes was arrested in 2016 while he was at the state psychiatric hospital and charged with second-degree murder. In 2017, a court found ruled him incompetent to stand trial, and the state dropped the charges against him. Noyes was committed to a secure psychiatric unit--it is not clear whether it was the state hospital or a more secure psychiatric unit at the state prison. Articles about the case have conflicting information (see links below).

Commitment terms are 5 years. Before that period ended, there'd be a hearing to determine if he still poses a risk to others or himself. February 27th was 5 years from when the charges were dropped and Noyes was committed.

The Attorney General's office responded to inquiries on Noyes's current status and location by saying information on individuals in the mental health system is confidential under state and federal law. The state can provide information on Noyes to Celina's sister, who is the family's representative. A reporter wrote that Celina's sister did not respond to inquiries (see Yahoo link below for the NH Union Leader reporting).

According to the experts cited in the links below, someone can be ruled incompetent to stand trial but no longer a danger to himself or others. Whether Noyes was or will be released is unknown, but it is unlikely he could ever be prosecuted for Celina's murder.

Whereabouts of accused killer Wendell Noyes is guarded in secrecy

Analysis: Competency Ruling In Celina Cass Murder Case 'Very Unusual'

Five years later still unanswered questions in Celina Cass murder

 

[cvaldez1975]

No one is charged in the murder of Celina Cass. It's unlikely there will ever be a prosecution.

Celina's stepfather Wendell Noyes was arrested in 2016 while he was at the state psychiatric hospital and charged with second-degree murder. In 2017, a court found ruled him incompetent to stand trial, and the state dropped the charges against him. Noyes was committed to a secure psychiatric unit--it is not clear whether it was the state hospital or a more secure psychiatric unit at the state prison. Articles about the case have conflicting information (see links below).

Commitment terms are 5 years. Before that period ended, there'd be a hearing to determine if he still poses a risk to others or himself. February 27th was 5 years from when the charges were dropped and Noyes was committed.

The Attorney General's office responded to inquiries on Noyes's current status and location by saying information on individuals in the mental health system is confidential under state and federal law. The state can provide information on Noyes to Celina's sister, who is the family's representative. A reporter wrote that Celina's sister did not respond to inquiries (see Yahoo link below for the NH Union Leader reporting).

According to the experts cited in the links below, someone can be ruled incompetent to stand trial but no longer a danger to himself or others. Whether Noyes was or will be released is unknown, but it is unlikely he could ever be prosecuted for Celina's murder.

Whereabouts of accused killer Wendell Noyes is guarded in secrecy

Analysis: Competency Ruling In Celina Cass Murder Case 'Very Unusual'

Five years later still unanswered questions in Celina Cass murder

this reminds me of malignering miss catherine hoggle in MD.

 

[katydid23]

This is heartbreaking and severely frustrating to hear. Noyes is a monster. And no doubt, a gifted malingerer.

 

[cocomod]

With the updated articles looking for Celina Mays, I was thinking about Celina Cass. She deserves justice. We all know who did it and we know he is just plain evil.

 

[katydid23]

With the updated articles looking for Celina Mays, I was thinking about Celina Cass. She deserves justice. We all know who did it and we know he is just plain evil.

I agree. This has been such a disappointing case, given what we saw unfold, and what has happened---which is nothing.

 

[Idon'tneedthesame]

I agree, it's terrible that nothing at all has happened to give Celina's family some type of justice. There are quite a few murders up here (Trish Haynes) that haven't been solved, it hurts my heart.