NASHUA, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) A Jaffrey man charged in a violent 2022 home invasion in Litchfield will remain confined at New Hampshire Hospital after a judge on Tuesday accepted his pleas of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Ian Morris will not serve a prison sentence but instead will be committed to the state psychiatric facility for a minimum of five years. The court may extend that commitment in five-year increments if prosecutors establish that he continues to suffer from a mental illness and poses a danger to others.

The ruling brings legal resolution to a case that began shortly before midnight on Feb. 15, 2022, when Litchfield police were dispatched to a reported home invasion with an assault in progress at a residence on Evergreen Circle.

According to affidavits filed in Hillsborough Superior Court at the time, the homeowners told police they woke to find Morris standing in their bedroom doorway holding a hatchet. Investigators alleged Morris blocked the exit and asked the husband how he wanted to die.

Believing at first that it might be a prank, the couple got out of bed and dressed before going downstairs at Morris’ direction, court documents state. When Morris allegedly told the husband to step outside and he refused, prosecutors said Morris began striking him with the blunt end of the hatchet.

The assault continued down a hallway and into a bathroom. Officers arriving at the home reported finding Morris and the bleeding homeowner on the floor, still engaged in a struggle. The victim sustained multiple lacerations to his head and face. During the altercation, Morris lost control of the hatchet and a knife, allowing the wife to secure the weapons, according to court records.

Police said at the time that Morris did not know the couple, and no clear motive for the attack was identified.

Morris was originally charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, burglary, two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault. He was held without bail following his arrest.

Morris will remain at New Hampshire Hospital under civil commitment, subject to periodic judicial review.