Daniel J. Opdenhoff, 24, who is charged with the first-, second- and third-degree murder of his parents, was recommitted Monday to a state mental hospital, his public defender said.
Opdenhoff will remain a patient at Warren State Hospital for as long as 180 days and may be recommitted if his psychiatric condition does not improve, lawyer Deborah Lux said.
"He is still experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations," Lux said, adding Opdenhoff is still suffering from delusions.
Lux said the decision to lengthen Opdenhoff's commitment was made at a hearing before a Warren County mental health review officer.
Opdenhoff, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, has been in the Warren hospital since being committed there on Dec. 2 by Centre County Judge David E. Grine.
Hannah Fry, chief officer of forensic services for the hospital, said that she could not comment specifically on Opdenhoff.
However, Fry said a hearing before a mental health review officer is generally attended by the patient, who is represented by counsel, the attending psychiatrist and also sometimes a social worker.
Fry said that the attending psychiatrist and a treatment team generally evaluate a patient for a possible release before the commitment time is up, depending on the patient's current condition.
It also is possible for a patient to be recommitted for a longer stay if his or her condition does not improve, she said.
The State College Police Department, after responding to a call made by daughter Kristen Opdenhoff, who could not reach her parents, discovered the bodies of William and Georgeann Opdenhoff in their home at 319 Hill Drive on Oct. 20.
According to the criminal complaint, an autopsy found the causes of death to be cerebral trauma, multiple skull fractures and blunt force trauma.
The two deaths were ruled as homicide.
The approximate time of death was determined to be between 6:30 and 10:30 p.m. Oct. 19, and William Opdenhoff's wallet was forcibly removed from his body, police said.
Daniel Opdenhoff was nowhere to be found following the incident. Police later tracked the use of his father's ATM card and he was taken into custody by New York City police on Oct. 25.
Following his arrest, Daniel Opdenhoff was committed to a New York mental health facility before being extradited back to Centre County Prison on Nov. 20.
He told police he thought he was fighting off "droids" with a baseball bat, and when shown photos of his dead parents, he allegedly admitted to hitting his parents with the bat numerous times, the complaint said.
If released from the hospital, Daniel Opdenhoff faces the murder charges, as well as two counts each of robbery and theft by unlawful taking or disposition.
