VAS Community|Man accused of using golf club to fatally impale Minnesota store clerk ruled incompetent for trial

2025-04-29 15:32:31source:BlueRock Horizon Asset Managementcategory:Finance

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The VAS Communityman accused of using a golf club to fatally impale a Minneapolis grocery store employee has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial on a murder charge.

Judicial Officer Danielle Mercurio on Tuesday ruled on the mental competency evaluation of Taylor Justin Schulz, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Schulz, 44, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 66-year-old Robert Skafte on Dec. 8. Officers responded to Oak Grove Grocery and and found the victim behind the counter “with a golf club impaled through his torso,” police said at the time. Skafte died at a hospital.

Skafte was a clerk at the store for nearly two decades and also an acclaimed ballet dancer. Schulz lived in an apartment across the street. Court records show Schulz had been evicted a week before the killing and had previously assaulted other apartment residents.

Other news Top official says Kansas courts need at least $2.6 million to recover from cyberattackLawyers ask federal appeals court to block the nation’s first execution by nitrogen hypoxiaShooter who killed 5 people at Colorado LGBTQ+ club intends to plead guilty to federal hate crimes

Mercurio’s decision was based on the opinion of a psychological examiner. Schulz has a history of mental illness.

“We have no reason to dispute the examiner’s opinion,” Schulz’s public defender, Emmett Donnelly, said in a statement.

A message was left Wednesday with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Schulz remains jailed on $1 million bond. He faces a court hearing in July. His case could be referred for civil commitment proceedings.

Schulz has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and self-reported post-traumatic stress disorder, according to court records. He has received treatment and services through Veterans Affairs in the past.

Schulz was civilly committed for six months in 2021, when a doctor found he was at “unacceptably high risk of further psychiatric deterioration unless strong support is given,” the newspaper reported, citing court documents.

More:Finance

Recommend

South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech

SEOUL, Dec 12 - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's switch from contrition to defiance on Thursda

Mahomes, the Chiefs, Taylor Swift and a thrilling game -- it all came together at the Super Bowl

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in a Super Bo

Flight attendants don't earn their hourly pay until aircraft doors close. Here's why

If air travel feels unusually taxing to you these days, you have company. Flight attendants are ex