Judge orders competency hearing for accused murderer Susan Wade
It will be two months before the Ann Arbor woman accused of stabbing her father to death will return to court to face a competency hearing.
Susan Wade
Courtesy of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office
Susan Wade, 48, will face a hearing to determine her competency and criminal responsibility on Aug. 23, District Court Judge Elizabeth Pollard Hines ruled Thursday. Wade was in court for her first preliminary exam after being charged with open murder in the death of Ronald Mason last week.
Wade only appeared in court for a matter of minutes, not saying much while Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecutor Blaine Longsworth and Washtenaw County Assistant Public Defender Laura Dudley worked out the next step in the process. Wade was then taken back to the Washtenaw County Jail, where she’s being held without bond.
Wade’s daughter told AnnArbor.com the day after the June 9 incident that Wade is schizophrenic and has a history of drug abuse.
At Wade’s arraignment, prosecutors alleged she waited until after midnight on June 9 to enter Mason’s room with a large kitchen knife. Wade then allegedly stabbed Mason between 25 and 30 times, resuming the attack later that morning when she came back into the room and thought she saw him move.
Police were called when Kristine Crossman, Wade’s daughter, showed up at the house in the 1700 block of Covington Drive later on that day. Wade had barricaded herself inside the house, eventually allowing Crossman in and leading her to Mason’s body, Crossman told AnnArbor.com
Wade is charged with open murder, a felony that allows the jury to decide if the crime is first-degree or second-degree murder. If convicted, she faces a maximum of life in prison.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Get the Ann Arbor RSS Feed
AnnArbor.com