Beheading Case Against Jackson Man To Proceed
JACKSON (WWJ/AP) - A preliminary examination has been scheduled for a Jackson man accused in the beheading of his neighbor.
Defense attorney Jerry Engle says Jackson District Judge R. Darryl Mazur agreed Friday with a state psychiatric report that Leo Kwaske is competent to face court proceedings in the death of 59-year-old Shirley Meeks.
The preliminary examination will be held March 2.
Kwaske was charged last year with felony murder, mutilation of a dead body and first-degree home invasion. Meeks' body was found Oct. 15 in her Jackson apartment, about 70 miles west of Detroit. Her head also was found.
Kwaske was ordered to undergo a mental health examination. Records show Kwaske has a history of mental illness, and Engle wrote that he believed Kwaske wasn't taking medication as directed at the time of the murder. Engle said no medication was found with Kwaske or in his apartment.
Engle says the Center for Forensic Psychiatry has "done a nice job" in treating Kwaske.
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