RALEIGH - John Patrick Violette, accused of killing and decapitating his 4-year-old daughter in January, was moved to Central Prison recently for better safekeeping, state Department of Correction officials said Tuesday.

According to jail logs, Violette, 38, was moved sometime during the past three weeks. It was unknown Tuesday by officials exactly when he was moved from the Johnston County jail and placed at Central Prison.

George Dudley, a spokesman for the Department of Correction, said it's not unusual for a jail to ask for a detainee to be moved to a different facility for reasons including safety and treatment.

On Jan. 12, Katlin Violette was stabbed to death and then beheaded. Her mother, Amber Violette, discovered her body that afternoon and called authorities. Violette has been charged with first-degree murder.

Violette suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, which erupted nearly a decade ago in California, his sister, Denise Violette, has said. He spent time in a mental hospital there.

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