Psych evaluation ordered in homicide case

A Minnesota man accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife in front of their three young children will have a psychiatric evaluation before his case proceeds.

During a hearing Thursday in Blue Earth County, Joel Munt's attorney asked that the defendant be evaluated. Assistant County Attorney Pat McDermott didn't object to the request.

The evaluation will be used to determine if Munt was competent at the time of the crime. Munt is accused of ramming his ex-wife's car into a tree last March and shooting Svetlana Munt in front of their children - ages 4, 5, and 7. Public defender Krista Jass says Munt suffered from "untreated depression" after the couple's 2009 divorce.

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Information from: The Mankato Free Press

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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