VIDALIA — On the day he was to go to trial on charges of three counts of murder, a Ferriday teen instead waits to hear if a panel of experts considers him sane.

Connor Wood, who spent his July 6 sixteenth birthday behind bars, was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder in early May, and was set to go to trial July 25.

The charges against him included indictments for the deaths of his parents, John and Geraldine Wood and a neighbor and reported friend, Matthew Whittington.

Wood pleaded “not guilty” to all counts May 16, but changed his plea via his attorney to “not guilty by reason of insanity” within a week.

Judge Leo Boothe ordered the formation of a three-person sanity comission, but the comission was stalled when coroner Sarah Lee recused herself from the panel in late June, reportedly because she felt she was too close to the case to be impartial.

The panel will be required to report its opinion 45 days after its final formation.

Early in the morning of March 14, the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office received a call from Wood stating someone had broken into his parents’ house and killed them.

Wood reportedly told them he had found a gun and killed the intruder, Whittington.

Later, Wood allegedly changed his story to police, saying he and Whittington had planned in advance to kill the Wood couple, and once Whittington had committed the murders Wood turned a gun on Whittington.

All three victims were reportedly shot multiple times.

Boothe ordered the entire court record for the matter sealed and will make a decision when the sanity commission is completed.