A San Jose man accused of stabbing his 6-year-old nephew and elderly grandma to death is diagnosed with mental illness, had an obsession with knives, and was a heavy drug user, court documents state.
Nathan Addison, 27, made his first court appearance Monday and declined to enter a plea. Addison hid behind his defense attorney and stood outside the courtroom. The victim’s family members shook their heads out of frustration.
Addison is charged with murdering his nephew, 6-year-old Jordan Cam Walker, and his grandmother, Delphina Turner, 71 on August 3.
Investigators have yet to release a motive behind the murders.
According to San Jose police, Addison destroyed evidence, including his grandmother’s cellphone, and cleaned up blood from the crime scene before fleeing.
The victims were found the following morning, on August 4, by family members.
The first person who told police that Addison was a likely culprit was his mother.
“She provided a brief statement to patrol officers and stated that her son may be responsible,” San Jose Police Sgt. Juan Vallejo wrote.

Court records show that over the past two years, Addison was in and out of jail with charges of felonies for burglary, drug possession, attempted arson, theft, threats, and possession of a knife
He was arrested by the Campbell Police Department, San Jose Police Department, and Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
During every arrest, Addison was armed with large knives.
Prosecutors said the criminal cases against Addison were suspended and to be diverted into mental health treatment programs.
In the Mental Health Diversion program, Addison was classified as a moderate-to-low risk for future violence.
A psychiatrist concluded, “Nathan does not pose an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety.”
Addison qualified for an outpatient program where he received treatment out of custody.
“From the public safety standpoint, it is beneficial for Mr. Addison to participate in mental health diversion, as opposed to incarceration, because he is not a highly criminogenic, violent individual, but a severely mentally ill one,” his former defense attorney, Ariel Toran, wrote
Toran asserted that Addison was a young man who suffered from bipolar disorder, struggled with methamphetamine use disorder, and survived an abusive childhood. Toran wrote, “He is willing to comply with treatment and is a strong candidate for Mental Health Diversion.”
On Monday the judge ordered Addison to remain in custody with no bail. He is scheduled to return to court on September 29 to enter a plea.