Man accused of using golf club to fatally impale Minnesota store clerk ruled incompetent for trial

2024-12-25 23:26:10 source:lotradecoin fundtransfers category:News

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The man accused of using a golf club to fatally impale a Minneapolis grocery store employee has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial on a murder charge.

Judicial Officer Danielle Mercurio on Tuesday ruled on the mental competency evaluation of Taylor Justin Schulz, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Schulz, 44, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 66-year-old Robert Skafte on Dec. 8. Officers responded to Oak Grove Grocery and and found the victim behind the counter “with a golf club impaled through his torso,” police said at the time. Skafte died at a hospital.

Skafte was a clerk at the store for nearly two decades and also an acclaimed ballet dancer. Schulz lived in an apartment across the street. Court records show Schulz had been evicted a week before the killing and had previously assaulted other apartment residents.

Other news Top official says Kansas courts need at least $2.6 million to recover from cyberattack Lawyers ask federal appeals court to block the nation’s first execution by nitrogen hypoxia Shooter who killed 5 people at Colorado LGBTQ+ club intends to plead guilty to federal hate crimes

Mercurio’s decision was based on the opinion of a psychological examiner. Schulz has a history of mental illness.

“We have no reason to dispute the examiner’s opinion,” Schulz’s public defender, Emmett Donnelly, said in a statement.

A message was left Wednesday with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Schulz remains jailed on $1 million bond. He faces a court hearing in July. His case could be referred for civil commitment proceedings.

Schulz has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and self-reported post-traumatic stress disorder, according to court records. He has received treatment and services through Veterans Affairs in the past.

Schulz was civilly committed for six months in 2021, when a doctor found he was at “unacceptably high risk of further psychiatric deterioration unless strong support is given,” the newspaper reported, citing court documents.

More:News

Recommend

Billboard Music Awards 2024: Complete winners list, including Taylor Swift's historic night

Now that our Spotifys have been unwrapped, the 2024 Billboard Music Awards have uncloaked our collec

Donald Trump biopic releases first clip from controversial 'The Apprentice' film

The upcoming film "The Apprentice" is giving viewers a first look at Marvel star Sebastian Stan as a

School bus hits and kills Kentucky high school student

WINCHESTER, Ky. (AP) — A school bus struck and killed a 15-year-old Kentucky girl as she crossed the