July trial set for man accused in hatchet slaying of wife

RACINE, Wis. (AP) - A July trial date has been set for a northern Illinois man accused of killing his wife with a hatchet in Wisconsin in 2014.

A judge in Racine County on Thursday set the trial of 39-year-old Cristian Loga-Negru to open July 11. The Arlington Heights man is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mayhem and kidnapping.

Authorities say Loga-Negru killed his wife, 36-year-old Roxana Abrudan, after he tracked her down while she was hiding from him at the Mount Pleasant home of her boss.

The judge in June had set Loga-Negru's trial for February. But his defense attorneys asked at a January hearing that he undergo a special health mental evaluation, thereby delaying the trial.

Loga-Negru is being held without bond in the Racine County Jail.