Judge: Man Accused of Beheading Girlfriend Competent to Stand Trial

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) – A Washington state man accused of beheading his girlfriend has been found competent to stand trial.

The Skagit Valley Herald reports Judge Brian Stiles found 33-year-old Timothy Paul Hernandez competent following a court-ordered evaluation by a mental health expert.

Hernandez is charged with premeditated murder in the death of 27-year-old Vanessa Cons. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Cons was found dead in the couple’s Mount Vernon home in August 2018.

According to court documents, Hernandez told authorities that he killed Cons after speaking with God.

Public defender C. Wesley Richards had sought for Hernandez to be evaluated by another psychologist but his client declined.

Hernandez is being held in the Skagit County jail on $1 million bail.
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Information from: Skagit Valley Herald, http://www.skagitvalleyherald.com