A man charged with first-degree murder in the 2011 beating death of his elderly wife has been hospitalized after undertaking a hunger strike.
The Washington Post reported Friday that Albrecht Muth was in critical condition at a local hospital, where he had been removed from the D.C. jail. Muth's trial is scheduled to begin March 25.
A native of Germany, the 48-year-old Muth is accused of beating and strangling his wife, Viola Drath in their Georgetown home. Muth, who claims to be a general in the Iraqi army and has maintained that his wife's death was the result of an Iranian hit intended for him, was found competent to stand trial in December after previously spending 10 months at St. Elizabeths Hospital. According to the Post, Muth's most recent hunger strike is at least the third he has attempted.
