Evening star., 1949-03-04
Ho|ober Sanity
.Test|s0rdered
After er|ndictment
Faces Trial in Killing
Of Wife and Boby if
He Is Declared Sane

He Is Declared Sane
Charles Francis Holober, 40, con-
fessed slayer of his wife and
8-month-old daughter, today was
ordered sent to the State institu-
ton for criminally insane at
Marion, Va, for observation.
A few minutes before he was
ordered sent to the institution,
Holober was indicted at a special
session of the Fairfax County
grand jury. He pleaded not guilty
to the two murder indictments at
an arraignment Immediately after
ward before Circuit Court Judge
Paul Brown. Not guilty pleas are
automatic in Virginia on capital
offenses
After Holober was arraigned,
Judge Brown said it had been
brought to his attention that there
might be some question of the
prisoners sanity. He called DR..
H. c. Bradford, county health
officer, who interviewed the pris-
oner yesterday.
Stresses Question of Sanity.
rs there any question about the
prisoners sanity?" the judge asked.
Yes sir" DR.. Bradford replied.
When the health officer started
to elaborate, Judge Brown stopped
him, saying. there just has to be
some doubt about sanity"
I'm compliance with the statute.
I am committing the defendant
to Marion for observation. Judge
Brown continued. This is not a
holding whether he 's or is not
insane"
commemorative Al .orney Hugh
B. Marsh said Holober would be
taken to Marion today or tomor-
row. He explained that if Holober
were found sane now or in the
future, he would face trial under
the murder indictments returned.
The murder indictments were
returned after the grand jury de-
liberated so minutes. Holober has
confessed to shooting his wife and
burying his baby alive in the shall
low grave he dug for his wife in
Fairfax February "a.
Holober smiled at his father,
mother and a sister, who were
seated in the courtroom. He was
wearing a bright blue suit and an
open collar.
Attorney Frank l. Ball. sr.. who
with Attorney John Locke Green
is representing the prisoner, stood
beside Holober as the murder in
dictments were read. Holober
calmly and softly said mot guilty.
after each indictment was read.
The indictment for the murder
of his wife, Frances, 81. was read
first. ~ -. .,...
-5.tf- ~
Holober was arrested shortly
after midnight Monday In front Of
his home at 1216 Shepherd street
NV. after the discovery about
S pm. Sunday Of the bodies Of
his wife and baby.
The part-time jewelry clerk
signed a confession a few hours
after his arrest, according to po-
lice.
Blamed Shooting on Wife.
He blamed the shooting on his
wife's failure to live up to an
agreement that she would leave
him alone following their marriage
in 1947. Mrs. Holober was an ex-
pectant mother when she was
slain.
The bodies were found by a
searching party in a clearing on
the site of the Green Forest Camp,
nudist colony about five miles
from Pender. Holober was a men,
ber of the camp. which is open
only during the summer.
Mrs. Holober and the infant had
been reported missing to Washing
ton police last Friday and Holo-
ber at first reported his wife had
walked away from a car which
had become mired near the camp.
Holober had borrowed the car
from a relative.
An autopsy disclosed that Mrs.
Holober was shot once in the head
and once in the back, the second
bullet penetrating her heart. The
baby died from suffocation. ac-
cnrdinR to the coroner'S report.