Theodore Luckey, 42, of Asbury Park, New Jersey

BEDFORD — The Country Inn & Suites hotel remained closed and in the custody of law enforcement agencies on Monday, as the investigation continues into the circumstances surrounding the murders of two men, one of whom the alleged machete-wielding assailant chased through the lobby, cornered behind the registration desk and stabbed to death.

A handful of guests who witnessed parts of the sudden spate of violence were left stunned and shaken as they gathered at the bottom of the hotel’s driveway well into the evening.

Arrested within a couple of hours of the incident was Theodore L. Luckey, 42, a resident of Asbury Park, New Jersey, who was located a short distance away from the hotel by police officers, with the assistance of a witness who saw a man matching the description of the suspect walking down a road and called police.

The suspect, whom police identified as Luckey, was booked on five felony charges and held in jail over the weekend. He opted to waive Monday’s scheduled arraignment in Hillsborough County Superior Court North, and will remain in jail pending a court hearing that’s yet to be scheduled.

Luckey is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, special felonies, and three counts of being a felon in possession of a dangerous weapon, Class B felonies.

Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS State police and Bedford officers continued working Monday at the scene of the double murder in Bedford. (Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS)

He is accused of causing the death of Manchester resident Nathan Cashman, 28, “by inflicting multiple incise wounds” to Cashman’s body “with a machete-type knife,” according to the complaints filed in court.

The other murder charge accuses Luckey of “recklessly” causing the death of David Hanford, 60, of Seaside Heights, New Jersey, “by suffocating him.” The crime was allegedly committed “under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life,” the complaint states.

Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Mitchell Weinberg, who conducted autopsies on the men’s bodies on Monday, determined that Cashman’s cause of death was multiple

chop wounds of the head, neck and body, and the manner of his death is homicide.

The cause of Hanford’s death, according to Weinberg, is ligature strangulation, and the manner of his death is also homicide.

Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS Police from Bedford and the State Police Major Crimes Unit work out of Bedford's incident command vehicle on Monday, as the investigation into Saturday's double murder continues. (Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS)

The felon in possession charges accuse Luckey of having in his possession a machete, a pistol, and metallic knuckles, after having been convicted of a felony offense in New Jersey.

Some court documents, including the police affidavit that includes additional details, were sealed by the court.

Affidavits typically shed more light on pieces of the puzzle such as motive, any pertinent background of the alleged assailant as well as the victims, and, in this case, how Luckey and the two alleged victims came to be at the hotel at the same time.

Also not yet known is whether Cashman and Hanford had been staying at the hotel, and if so, for how long and for what purpose. Nor is it known if Luckey had been staying there, or if he had just arrived on Saturday.

Police did say that police arriving at the hotel in response to several 911 calls around 7 p.m. Saturday located Cashman’s body in the lobby behind the desk, and found Hanford’s body in a room, which is believed to be a second-floor room.

Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS Law enforcement officers from several jurisdictions worked together Monday at the scene of Saturday's double murder at the Country Inn & Suites hotel in Bedford. (Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS)

Sunday evening, an appeal for donations to “please help us bury our friend” appeared on the fundraising site GoFundMe on behalf of Cashman’s family and friends.

The account organizer, identified as Richard “Richie” Rapazzo, wrote that Cashman, whose nickname was “Bones,” was “murdered by someone we all thought was a friend.”

Describing Cashman as “one of the kindest people I have ever met,” Rapazzo wrote that Cashman’s family “is mostly already gone … so it comes to us, his friends and his girlfriend, to help get ‘Bones’ the service he deserves.”

Meanwhile, the police presence at the hotel remained steady throughout Monday, and the building and property were still cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape.

State police and sheriff’s department officers assisted guests with retrieving their belongings from their rooms. Many of the guests waited in their cars for their turn.

Courtesy photo A photo of Nathan Cashman celebrating his birthday last month is one of several on the GoFundMe account friends launched in an effort to raise money for funeral services. (Courtesy photo)

One guest, a resident of Chicago who was in town for work, said he had just filled an ice bucket and was walking through the hobby when a man suddenly ran past him.

The guest, who asked his name not be used, said the man was “running … holding up his pants, and was bloody.”

The guest said a “tall Black man” then ran past him “with a machete in his hand,” in apparent pursuit of the other man.

The guest said the man with the machete chased the other man behind the front desk and “continually stabbed” him.

Police later identified the suspect as Luckey, who stands 6 feet, 7 inches and weighs about 190 pounds, matching the suspect description of “a tall, skinny Black male with red hair” that was included in the be-on-the-lookout bulletin radioed to police departments in the region.

Police and representatives of the state Attorney General’s office said in earlier statements that more information may be released once autopsies are conducted on the bodies of the two victims, procedures that are scheduled to take place Monday or today.

Telegraph contributor Jeffrey Hastings contributed reporting to this report.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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