Charleston double murder suspect found competent to stand trial

KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) — A man accused of murdering his mother and a 10-year-old has been found competent to stand trial, according to the Kanawha County Circuit Clerk’s Office.

Nicholas Hanshaw, 39, was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder in March.

These charges stem from the deaths of his mother, 62-year-old Sherry Russell, and a 10-year-old boy identified as Richie by a fundraiser for the victims . The two victims were found dead inside a Vandalia Terrace Apartment on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023.

A new trial date has not been set, according to the Circuit Clerk’s Office.

A criminal complaint for Hanshaw said the investigation began when the South Charleston Police Department responded to a car dealership regarding a man with two children in the service department allegedly claiming that he had committed murder and was trying to get a vehicle.

The man, identified as Hanshaw, gave SCPD the victims’ first names and the location of the alleged murder, claiming he “needed people to go pick up their bodies.”

The SCPD detained Hanshaw, and the Charleston Police Department was then contacted to do a well-being check on the home in the Vandalia Terrace Apartments.

At that time, detectives found the body of a woman with multiple neck wounds in the master bedroom doorway, according to the complaint. Officers say they then found the 10-year-old dead against the wall of a back bedroom.

According to the complaint, the CPD then went to the SCPD station to arrest Hanshaw on two counts of first-degree murder. Police say while interviewing Hanshaw, they found “blood splatter on his clothing and skin along with cuts to the inside of his hands.”

Court documents state Hanshaw’s criminal history dates back to 2007 including felony and misdemeanor charges for domestic violence, traffic violations and grand larceny.

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