The Latest: Man accused of mom's decapitation gets lawyer

ZEBULON, N.C. – The Latest on a man accused of decapitating his mother (all times local):

3:15 p.m.

The North Carolina man accused of decapitating his mother has been assigned an attorney.

Franklin County District Attorney Mike Waters said 18-year-old Oliver Funez made his first court appearance on Tuesday. Waters said a judge signed a safekeeping order that would lead to a transfer for Funez from the county jail to Central Prison in Raleigh.

The judge also assigned Funez an attorney. Waters said Louisburg attorney C. Boyd Sturges III would represent Funez. Sturges wasn't immediately available for comment.

Also, Waters said he is reviewing the 911 tapes to determine how much of them could be released without violating the defendant's right to a fair trial.

___

11:30 a.m.

North Carolina prosecutors will seek a mental evaluation of an 18-year-old man charged with decapitating his mother at a home east of Raleigh.

Eighteen-year-old Oliver Funez was charged with first-degree murder Monday after a deputy responding to a 911 call saw the man walk out of a home in Zebulon with his mother's head in one hand and what appeared to be a large knife in the other hand.

Deputies found the body of 35-year-old Yesenia Funez Beatriz Machado in the home.

Franklin County District Attorney Mike Waters told WRAL-TV (http://bit.ly/2lAtCb7 ) on Tuesday it could take weeks to months to determine Funez's mental state.

He was ordered held on Tuesday. His next court appearance is scheduled March 14.

Sheriff Kent Winstead said two children in the home were not hurt.