A judge ruled the man accused of beheading a Jackson woman is competent to stand trial.
Leo Kwaske was back in a Jackson County courtroom Friday for the first time since he was sent to a psychiatric hospital back in October. That's when he charged in the murder of Shirley Meeks. Her decapitated body was found in her Reed Manor apartment.
The case has been on hold while Kwaske got mandatory treatment, but with the judge's approval Friday, the ball is finally rolling.
Although the judge's approval on Friday is a big step in the case, there's still quite a long road ahead. During his treatment at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry, doctors have been forcing Kwaske to take medication.
In his first review doctors determined Kwaske did not make enough progress to go back to court. But in the evaluation the judge read Friday, doctors say Kwaske is now in touch with his surroundings and understands he's charged with felonies.
Even though he's been deemed competent, Kwaske's attorney requested he go back to the center to continue treatment rather than go back to jail.
"He understands what I'm talking about now, which is a switch. Which is a big switch. So the hope in sending him back is that he'll stay that way," said Jerry Engle, Kwaske's attorney.
"I'm very happy. Because when we first got this case, it looked like he was never going to become competent. You know, we would never put the facts of this case on...that the family of these victims would never get any closure, because he was always going to be in this state of nothing's happening," said Jared Hopkins, assistant prosecuting attorney.
The judge did order Kwaske to go back to the center. There, doctors will also work to see if Kwaske was insane at the time he allegedly killed Shirley Meeks.
Kwaske is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on March 2.
