Records: Man accused of stabbing roommate to death previously charged with killing grandmother

LANHAM, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Court records reveal a man accused of stabbing his roommate to death at a group home for residents with mental illness had previously stabbed his grandmother to death in 2005, raising questions about why he was ever released from a state mental institution.

Prince George's County police say 37-year-old Robert Jackson stabbed 25-year-old Bryant Stigall to death. The motive is not clear. Charging documents say police found Jackson close to a trail of blood and asleep on the sofa just outside of the room he shared with Stigall.

Officers found Stigall with a knife in his neck and a firefighter pronounced him dead Saturday just before 6 a.m.

The murder took place at a group home on Trexler Road in Lanham, which serves residents with mental illnesses. A worker told FOX 5 many of the residents at the facility have violent criminal histories.

Court records show Jackson is one of those residents who has been in trouble before. The Iraq War veteran was found incompetent to stand trial and had charges that he stabbed his grandmother to death in 2005 dismissed. The dismissal came in 2015 and a judge ordered Jackson to be treated at the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital in Jessup.

It's unclear when Jackson was released from the hospital and moved to the Lanham group home, but a worker tells FOX 5 that Jackson was violent with people in the home before.

Family Services, Inc., which owns the home, tells FOX 5 residents of the home are not required to be monitored overnight. The worker says no staff members were there at the time, despite workers who typically work the overnight shift. It's unclear why workers were not on site Friday night.

The Maryland Department of Health says providers or judges, if a patient is involved in court proceedings, decide the degree of monitoring and supervision a patient is required to have.

The health department says it isn't aware of any complaints about supervision at the facility owned by Family Services Inc.

Jackson is being held without bond and has a court hearing set for Jan. 11.