Hatchet murder suspect fit to stand trial
An Arlington Heights man charged with killing his estranged wife with a hatchet last month was declared competent to stand trial Friday during a hearing in a Racine County, Wisconsin, courtroom, according to published reports.
The Racine Journal Times reported that a circuit court judge declared Cristian Loga-Negru, 38, of Arlington Heights competent to stand trial based on the findings of a psychologist.
The Journal Times also reported that Loga-Negru himself attested to his competency during the hearing.
He faces charges of murder, kidnapping and mayhem for the Nov. 19 killing of 36-year-old Roxana Abrudan in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, where authorities said she had been hiding from him at the home of a friend.
Loga-Negru has not yet hired an attorney, and Racine County District Attorney W. Richard Chiapete said he doesn't qualify for a public defender.
The judge Friday set a preliminary hearing for Tuesday, Dec. 30, according to The Journal Times.
At another hearing earlier this month, Loga-Negru told the judge he had not been able to get in touch with family in Europe to transfer the funds he would need to hire a private attorney.
Loga-Negru is a Romanian citizen who attended law school in Romania and the United States.
He and Abrudan married in July, but the relationship turned violent soon after, according to an order of protection obtained by Abrudan.
Loga-Negru is accused of tracking his wife to Mount Pleasant, attacking her with a hatchet, then dragging her body into a car and driving to a nearby hotel where police caught him. Abrudan died later that night at a Milwaukee hospital.
Loga-Negru faces life plus 85 years in prison if convicted.
Cook County court records show Loga-Negru had finalized a divorce in April from another woman he'd married in 2010. That same year, he got divorced from yet another woman, records show.