By Michael Donoghue, Vermont News First

ST. ALBANS — A West Enosburgh man, who is accused of killing his father with a baseball bat and beating his mother, is now going to face two more criminal charges for a violent assault on a prison guard in St. Albans Town, Vermont News First has learned.

Jordan E. Lawyer, who officials say has a long history of mental health issues, is expected to be arraigned on charges of simple assault and assault on a correctional officer, Timothy Pullen, 44, Vermont News First has determined.

He is due for arraignment on the two charges in Vermont Superior Court in St. Albans on Dec. 9.

Lawyer, 29, had pleaded not guilty in Vermont Superior Court on Monday Oct. 7 to a variety of criminal charges, including second-degree murder of his father, Todd Lawyer, and aggravated domestic assault on his mother, Robin Lawyer.

The charges followed a brutal, bloody attack with a baseball bat at their West Enosburgh home. They came home from work and found their son burning some of their property, police said.

Vermont State Police has said Lawyer, after his video arraignment from the prison, became combative when he was being led back to his cell at the Northwest State Correctional Facility by Pullen about 1:15 p.m.

Lawyer resisted and began struggling with Pullen when ordered to enter his cell and have his handcuffs removed. During the altercation, Lawyer struck Pullen several times in the head and attempted to kick or stomp on him. Pullen eventually gained control of Lawyer as other correctional officers responded to assist.

Pullem was taken to the Northwestern Medical Center for his injuries and released later that day, officials said.

The incident was captured on the prison’s security video, State Police spokesman Adam Silverman had said previously.

Lawyer was initially transferred from the St. Albans prison to the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital in Berlin after the incident.

He has since been shipped to the Southern Vermont Correctional Facility in Springfield, which has a medical facility.

Todd Lawyer, 54, died from blunt force trauma to the head by a baseball bat, while his wife, Robin Lawyer, 58, was seriously injured and was taken Northwest Medical Center in St. Albans.

Franklin County State’s Attorney Bram Kranichfeld had successfully argued that Jordan Lawyer needed to be held without bail because he was a serious danger to the community.

Judge Alison Arms agreed.

Kranichfeld had noted Lawyer had two earlier violent attacks on his parents before the incident this month that led to his latest jailing.

In both earlier cases Lawyer was found incompetent to stand trial. A judge ordered him freed in both cases after the Department of Mental Health urged the court to issue non-hospitalization mental health orders. The criminal charges were dropped.

Judge Arms also agreed at the arraignment for a new psychiatric evaluation requested by Kranichfeld.

Lawyer also is facing felony charges of attempting to elude police and aggravated assault for driving into a Vermont game warden’s vehicle at the end of the chase following the homicide. He pleaded not guilty to those counts.

A bloodied bat either fell or dropped out of the vehicle after Lawyer crashed his vehicle on Main Street in Enosburgh about 11:20 a.m. Friday Oct. 4, police said. He surrendered after being hit with either rubber bullets or bean bags.

Vermont News First was the first to report that Lawyer had a long history of mental health issues and was found incompetent to stand trial in Vermont Superior Court for a March 2022 charge of aggravated domestic on his parents, who survived that attack.

Family members and friends said they long feared the attacks would get more serious and that Lawyer might kill his parents. His father slept with a baseball bat for self-protection, family members and court records note.

The next reported attack did prove more deadly.