Bond was denied Wednesday for 17-year-old Jacob Morgan on arson and murder charges regarding the death of his 14-month-old brother. The denial came after the examining of files spanning 10 years of Morgan’s involvement with law enforcement and social services.
Circuit Court Judge John C. Hayes III said he reserved the right to modify, change, or amend the ruling after reviewing Morgan’s past records.
Morgan’s charges are from the March 6 fire at his family’s home on Catawba Church Road located southeast of Rock Hill. Joshua Morgan, Jacob Morgan’s brother, was killed in the fire. When police arrived at the scene, Jacob Morgan was outside of the house. Several days after the fire once detectives had interviewed Morgan and his parents, Morgan was charged.
The records that are to be reviewed by Hayes contain files and school records from the Department of Juvenile Justice and Department of Social Services associated with Morgan in the past 10 years.
According to Sixteenth Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett, the records show painful involvement with Morgan that has continued to deteriorate, including many referrals to treatment that led to diagnoses of oppositional defiance disorder, bipolar disorder, and anti-social personality disorder. Brackett said the records also include police reports detailing calls about Morgan allegedly threatening and sometimes attacking his family members.
Brackett said he believes Morgan is smarter than he lets people believe and that he has been attempting to manipulate the public and the court to get sympathy.
After Brackett asked Hayes for a mental evaluation of Morgan, Hayes ask 16th Circuit Deputy Public Defender B.J. Barrowclough if he thought a mental evaluation was needed.
Barrowclough then said he was sending an order for an expert in mental health, saying that he believes the problems are more emotional instead of intellectual. Barrowclough said Morgan doesn’t have a prior record and isn’t a danger to the community.
