KEENE, N.H. (AP) – A man who authorities say fatally shot his friend in the woods, then confessed to a stranger, was arraigned Tuesday as family members from both sides tried to understand what happened.

Albert Sheehan, 36, is accused of shooting Denis Hutchins, 28, in the head Sunday afternoon in Alstead. Afterward, authorities said, Sheehan walked away then confessed to a man on the street that he shot his best friend.

“There is no sense to it. We don’t know,” said Patrick Sheehan, Sheehan’s uncle. “We just have to wait and see what develops.”

Carri Sevene, a cousin of Hutchins, said the family is very much in shock, trying to understand what happened and why.

Sheehan was arraigned via video in Keene District Court on two counts of second-degree murder and ordered held without bail. Judge Edward Burke ordered that the files in the case be sealed because the investigation was continuing. Sheehan has a hearing on March 1.

The charges offer different theories on how prosecutors believe Sheehan may have killed Hutchins. He can be convicted of only one of the charges. One count charges Sheehan with knowingly shooting Hutchins. The other charges him with shooting Hutchins while in a reckless state of mind.

The charges could change when the case goes before a grand jury, said Jeff Strelzin, senior assistant attorney general.

Strelzin said Hutchins, Sheehan and another man who later called 911 about the shooting decided to go for a walk in the woods Sunday. He said Sheehan “actually meant to kill his friend,” but didn’t comment on a motive.

Hutchins and Sheehan were living in Marlborough. Hutchins had given Sheehan a place to live because Sheehan was having difficulties with his marriage, Hutchins’ uncle said.

Ed Pacek said he was confronted on an Alstead street Sunday by a man who gave him a big hug, “like he was relieved or something.”

Pacek, who lives near the area, said the man “talked to me like he knew me, like I was a long-lost friend.”

“He said to me, I shot him,”‘ Pacek said. “And I asked, Who did you shoot?’ And that’s when he told me he shot his best friend in the head,”‘ Pacek said. “I guess instead of going into rescue mode, he went into shock.”

Police found a .22-caliber rifle on the scene, Strelzin said. The gun is believed to be the only one involved with the shooting, he said.

AP-ES-02-21-06 1336EST