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Alleged Bedford murderer remains behind bars as state and local authorities continue investigating Saturday’s sudden spate of violence

By Dean Shalhoup - Senior Staff Writer | Aug 25, 2021

Theodore Luckey, 42, of Asbury Park, New Jersey

BEDFORD — Not quite as many law enforcement vehicles were parked outside the Country Inn & Suites Tuesday, as compared to Saturday night through Monday, but numerous state and local detectives were back at work piecing together the circumstances of the brief, but bloody, episode that left two men dead.

Suspected of killing the two men — Nathan Cashman, 28, of Manchester, and David Hanford, 60, of Seaside Heights, New Jersey — is Theodore L. Luckey, 42, of Asbury Park, New Jersey, who remains in Valley Street jail on preventive detention after waiving formal arraignment Monday.

A prosecutor and Luckey’s public defender agreed on the terms of a bail order, which Hillsborough County Superior Court North Judge N. William Delker issued on Monday.

One of the conditions the parties agreed on is that Luckey reserves the right to challenge the preventive detention order, and to request a bail hearing within 30 days, according to Delker’s notations.

In the unlikely event that Luckey succeeds in being released on bail, he is ordered to have no contact with Cashman’s and Hanford’s family members, or with any witnesses in the case.

Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS There were fewer law enforcement vehicles and things were a bit quieter at the Country Inn & Suites in Bedford Tuesday, but the investigation into Saturday's double murder remains active. (Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS)

He would also be prohibited from traveling outside New Hampshire, as well as from possessing firearms or other weapons, and consuming excess alcohol or illegal drugs, according to the order.

Luckey is facing five felony charges in connection with the incident, including two counts of second-degree murder, special felonies, and three counts of being a felon in possession of a dangerous weapon, Class B felonies.

Luckey is accused of causing Cashman’s death “by inflicting multiple incise wounds” to his body “with a machete-type knife.”

Luckey is accused of “recklessly” causing Hanford’s death “by strangling him under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life,” according to the complaints.

Autopsies conducted Monday by Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Mitchell Weinberg determined that the cause of Cashman’s death was “multiple

chop wounds of the head, neck and body.”

Weinberg ruled the cause of Hanford’s death as “ligature strangulation.”

The manner of death for both men is homicide, according to Weinberg’s report.

As for the felon in possession charges against Luckey, they accuse him 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.

It was shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday that Bedford police began receiving a series of 911 calls, mainly from hotel guests and employees.

Arriving officers found a chaotic scene, and additional Bedford units, along with several state police troopers were summoned to the hotel.

Upon entering the hotel police found the bloody body of a man, later identified as Cashman, behind the registration desk, and determined he was deceased.

Hanford’s body was found in a hotel room, which is believed to be on the second floor.

According to reporting by Bedford Patch, a state Department of Corrections representative said that Luckey and Cashman had been incarcerated at the State Prison in Concord at the same time.

While indications are the two knew each other, it’s not clear whether they were acquainted when they were in prison.

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

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