A Custar man deemed incompetent to stand trial after shooting a man in the back in 2013 is being released from a psychiatric hospital.

Thomas Boyer, 62, appeared Friday in the courtroom of Wood County Common Pleas Judge Molly Mack.

The court received a letter March 29 from the forensic services director at the Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital requesting Boyer be granted conditional release from the facility.

Wood County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Pamela Gross said the state did not object to the request.

“We understand this is the recommendation and the least restrictive, which the law requires,” she said.

Defense attorney Sara Roller said Boyer will be placed in a supervised group home in Bowling Green on Monday.

Boyer was indicted in December 2013 on attempted murder and felonious assault charges after the Nov. 20 shooting of William Morris, 43, of Rutland, at Boyer’s former residence in the 22700 block of Defiance Pike.

The shooting occurred just after 1 p.m., and a single shot was fired. Boyer still had the shotgun in his possession upon the arrival of a deputy, and he was held at gunpoint by the deputy prior to his arrest.

The home was located across the street from St. Louis Catholic School, which was put on lockdown.

Boyer reportedly shot Morris once in the back with the shotgun after a confrontation on the property.

Morris, a subcontractor with One West Bank, had come to the foreclosed home to determine if it was occupied and, if it was not, to winterize it and change the locks. The property was to be sold at a sheriff’s sale.

Boyer entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity in January 2014.

The court ordered a psychiatric/psychological evaluation.

In July 2014, the court found that Boyer was not competent to stand trial and was not capable of assisting counsel in preparing for legal defense. The court also found that there was substantial probability that Boyer would become competent to stand trial if provided with a course of treatment.

Judge Reeve Kelsey, who oversaw the case, ordered that the Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital was the least restrictive environment, and that Boyer would undergo treatment there to restore competence. His freedom of movement was restricted while he was a patient.

According to Wood County Prosecutor Paul Dobson at a February 2015 competency hearing, Morris has permanently lost the use of his legs as the result of the injuries he sustained from the shotgun blast.

Boyer has been deemed incompetent during annual evaluations since then.

Mack on Friday declared Boyer to be a mentally ill person incompetent to stand trial and unrestorable and approved his release to the group home.

This situation may continue for the length of time as Boyer could have served in prison if found guilty, which was 12 years.

The term expires Nov. 20, 2027.

Boyer will submit to toxicology screens and cannot leave the supervised group home without court approval.