DURANT — A Bennington man accused of shooting his father to death more than two years ago is being housed in a state mental facility.

Craig Ryan Andrews, 31, charged in March 2007 with first-degree murder for the shooting death of his father, Steve Andrews, 63, is being evaluated at a mental hospital in Vinita.

Although Andrews had previously been found competent to stand trial because he understood the charges against him, he was evaluated by psychologists for the defense and the state, and found to be insane at the time he shot his father, according to District Attorney Emily Redman.

Andrews was arrested after authorities responded to the family’s home on Midland Road. Investigators said Andrews shot his father to death with a hunting rifle while the father was sitting in a recliner reading.

According to the sheriff’s office, Andrews confessed to the shooting and claimed God told him to do it.

During a November 2007 hearing, Andrews was ruled competent to stand trial because he was no longer showing signs of mental illness at that time, court papers state.

Redman said the insanity issue was raised after Andrews was found competent and that it deals with the state of mind of a defendant at the time the crime was committed.

“In that case, the experts determine whether the defendant was mentally ill at the time the crime was committed and whether the disease rendered him unable to understand the nature and consequences of his actions or to distinguish right from wrong at the time of the offense,” Redman said.

According to Redman, when an insanity determination has been made and a defendant has been deemed “dangerous,” as has happened in this case, the person is placed into the custody of the state Department of Mental Health at a secure facility. Andrews was transported to Vinita earlier this month.

Pursuant to statute, Bryan County District Judge Mark Campbell ordered physicians at Vinita to evaluate Andrews and submit a report to the court within approximately 35 days.

Redman said when that happens, the judge will set another hearing to examine the reports of the physicians and compare them with previous evaluations.