Forty-three-year-old Thomas Mortimer IV was arraigned on four first-degree murder counts Friday and ordered held without bail. An automatic plea of not guilty was entered for him.
Prosecutors say he wrote letters in which he admitted murdering his family.
The judge approved defense attorney Denise Regan's request for a forensic mental health evaluation for Mortimer.
Mortimer's wife, mother-in-law, 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter were found dead in their Winchester home Wednesday.
His father, Thomas Mortimer of Avon, Conn., told reporters after Friday's hearing that his son is "a good kid."
