Albrecht Muth Not Well Enough For Trial

Doctors say Muth not well enough to continue legal proceedings

A German-born man charged with killing his socialite wife in Washington will spend at least another month at a mental health hospital after doctors suggested he is not well enough for trial.

A judge ordered Albrecht Muth held for another month Wednesday during a mental health hearing in D.C. Superior Court.

Muth is charged in the August strangulation and beating death of his 91-year-old wife Viola Drath, a German journalist. Muth had been transferred in February to Saint Elizabeth’s psychiatric hospital for a competency screening after a doctor said he was delusional and had hallucinatory visions.

A report filed in court Tuesday said a psychologist who examined him at the hospital had concerns about his ability to rationally understand the proceedings against him or help his attorneys with his case.

This is the second time Muth was determined incompetent to stand trial, said Bill Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office. Muth is scheduled to appear in court on April 25.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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