Judge says murder suspect cannot start treatment

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A judge says a North Dakota man accused of murdering his wife cannot begin treatment at the state hospital before it is determined whether he's mentally competent to proceed with the case.

Fifty-year-old Henry Deniger Sr. is accused of stabbing 52-year-old Kathye Deniger to death in March. She was found dead in the couple's Fargo apartment and he was arrested the following day in St. Cloud, Minn.

Deniger's attorneys are asking to suspend the case and commit him to the state hospital in Jamestown, perhaps for life if doctors determine he cannot help with his own defense.

Judge Steven McCullough said Wednesday that the defense request to start treatment immediately is "laudable," but should not be discussed until an evaluation by a state hospital expert is complete.

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