Mental hospital rejected accused killer of Cape Cod mom burned on lawn before he died in custody

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

A Massachusetts mental hospital reportedly refused to take in a murder suspect accused of killing his own mother, sending the man to a jail where he later died in custody.

Adam Howe, charged with murdering his 69-year-old mother, Susan Howe, before setting her body ablaze on the front lawn of her $900,000 Cape Cod home on Friday, died by an apparent suicide Sunday evening after suffering a "medical emergency" in his cell at the Ash Street Jail in New Bedford, authorities said. 

In a statement released Monday, Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe said his office attempted to have the 34-year-old Howe placed at Bridgewater State Hospital. 

Bridgewater, run by the state Department of Correction, "refused to take Mr. Howe, saying they didn’t take Section 12 commitments," O’Keefe’s office said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. "They would only take someone committed under Section 18." 

MASSACHUSETTS MAN CHARGED WITH MOM'S MURDER CHOKES ON WET TOILET PAPER, DIES IN CUSTODY 

Section 18 refers to when a "person in charge" of a jail calls for an inmate to be seen for a mental evaluation at Bridgewater, while Section 12 applies to when "a physician" or another professional needs to "apply for hospitalization" at a mental institution, according to The Boston Herald. 

Truro Police said emergency personnel responded to a residence at approximately 9:30 p.m. Friday "as a result of a request for a well-being check and a separate report of a fire." Upon arrival, they encountered the younger Howe outside the house and a fire on the front lawn. 

As the emergency personnel realized that it was a body that was burning, the male subject ran into the house and locked the door, police said. The Cape Cod Regional SWAT Team responded and ultimately made entry into the home, placing the younger Howe into custody. 

O’Keefe said "evidence suggests" the victim was Howe’s mother. Howe "experienced difficulty breathing" at the murder scene, O’Keefe said, so the man was brought to Cape Cod Hospital at 12:30 a.m. Saturday. 

"He was shackled to a gurney after being examined and being watched by hospital personnel with eyes on him at all times," according to O'Keefe's office. "In the room also were Massachusetts State Police and security personnel from the hospital. The hospital wanted to have him discharged as soon as practical, and efforts were made to contact a secure facility to take him."

"An on-call judge was finally located at about 3 a.m., and she listened to the physician in charge of the emergency room and to the District Attorney and issued an order under Section 12 of Chapter 123," O’Keefe’s office said. "The District Attorney then contacted Bridgewater to apprise them of the Judge’s order and the Judge’s willingness to speak with them directly."

Rejected by Bridgewater, Howe was ultimately taken to Ash Street Jail, which was given the "discharge summary from Cape Cod Hospital and a police report of the incident resulting in his mother’s death," O’Keefe said, noting, "Both of which indicated suicidal ideation."

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While inside his jail cell, Howe "clogged his airways with wet toilet paper and suffered a medical emergency," according to the Bristol County Sheriff's Office. 

He was found dead in his cell at approximately 5:14 p.m. Sunday, O'Keefe's office said.