Trial suspended for man accused of stabbing stepgrandmother

WILLMAR - Court proceedings have been suspended for the man who allegedly stabbed his stepgrandmother this June in Willmar pending a mental examination.
Ex-savor Rene Cruz, 19, faces felony charges of second-degree attempted murder, first degree assault - great bodily harm and second-degree assault.
Judge Jennifer Fischer last week approved the defense’s request for a mental examination of Cruz. According to the order for a mental examination, the defense states that Cruz may lack the capacity to understand proceedings and participate in his defense, due to a possible mental illness.
As a result of this order, all court proceedings have been suspended in the case.
The defense has also filed notice that Cruz plans to use a mental illness or mental deficiency defense to charges stemming from the stabbing of his 64-year-old stepgrandmother, Maria Garcia.
Cruz will be examined by a psychologist who will diagnose any mental health conditions and give an opinion as to whether or not Cruz has the capacity to understand the legal proceedings.
Also according to the order for a mental examination, the psychologist will give an opinion as to whether or not mental illness or mental deficiency may have made Cruz unaware of the nature of his actions during the alleged crime.
According to court documents, Cruz allegedly struck Garcia in the head with a cast iron frying pan. As she lay unconscious on the floor, he then allegedly covered her with a blanket that was draped over the lit kitchen stove.
Garcia woke up to flames. She made her way across the street to the home of a neighbor who called law enforcement.
The complaint states that officers found Garcia and another woman holding a bloody towel to Garcia’s neck, and that Garcia told the neighbor that she had been stabbed by her stepgrandson, Cruz.
The complaint states that the assault appeared to have occurred in the kitchen on the main floor of the residence. A blood trail led from the kitchen to the living room and out the front door to the neighbor’s residence. A cast iron frying pan and a knife blade were found in the kitchen, according to the complaint.