Suspect in fatal stabbing at Minneapolis grocery store found incompetent to stand trial
The suspect in the fatal stabbing of a clerk at a Minneapolis grocery store in December has been found incompetent to stand trial.
That’s after a Hennepin County District Court hearing on Tuesday for 44-year-old Taylor Justin Schulz. Schulz refused to appear.
Schulz is charged with second-degree murder in the Dec. 8 killing of 66-year-old Robert Skafte at Oak Grove Grocery near Loring Park.
The court said an expert found that Schulz, “due to mental illness or cognitive impairment, lacks the ability to rationally consult with counsel; or lacks the ability to understand the proceedings or participate in the defense.”
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The court also noted that the finding was not contested by prosecutors or the defense.
Schulz continues to be held at the Hennepin County Jail. A review hearing for the case is scheduled for July.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office issued a statement Wednesday, saying the county will now “conduct a thorough review of Mr. Schulz’s history and circumstances before the County Attorney’s Office can move forward with civil commitment proceedings.”
“Schulz will remain in custody at the Hennepin County jail as this process plays out. If a judge determines that Schulz meets commitment criteria, treatment efforts to assist Schulz in attaining competence will begin,” the statement said. “If he is found to be competent in the future, the County Attorney’s Office will immediately resume proceedings in the criminal case.”
The criminal complaint alleges that surveillance video shows Schulz approaching the grocery counter with an item of merchandise on Dec. 8, and then “almost immediately” attacking Skafte, who was behind the counter.
The complaint says Skafte attempted to get away but Schulz continued to choke, punch and kick him. He then allegedly attacked and stabbed Skafte with a golf club that was kept behind the counter. Skafte later died at a hospital.
Schulz, who lived in an apartment across the street, was arrested after a six-hour standoff. Witnesses told police that Schulz had previously assaulted other residents of the building.
Skafte was an acclaimed dancer who had worked at the grocery store for years. Friends remembered him as the “kindest, sweetest person.”