Timothy Granata, who is accused of stabbing his own mother to death, appeared briefly in Milford Superior Court on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old was placed on a suicide watch and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Defense attorney Hugh F. Keefe, who represents the accused, said, "Could there be anything worse for this family torn apart? they are strong and highly reputed people in the town of Orange."
On the afternoon of July 24, police say the Hopkins High School graduate, and former Lehigh University varsity wrestler, brutally attacked his 58-year-old mother, Claudia Granata, inside the family's home in Orange.
Police say multiple 911 calls came from the house, including one from Timothy. Police found him in the street, covered in blood, cell phone in one hand, Bible in the other. He surrendered to police saying he killed his own mom.
Outside court Keefe said, "There clearly are mental health issues that will be involved and there's several ways they could influence the handling of this case and we're going to explore them all."