Rochester Man Found Competent to Stand Trial For Hammer Attack
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The criminal case against a Rochester man accused of attacking his wife with a hammer can proceed now that an Olmsted County Judge has found him competent to stand trial.
A psychological evaluation was ordered in July for 65-year-old Joseph Kinyanjui and the resulting report was reviewed by the judge in the case on Monday. He is now scheduled for an evidentiary hearing in March and is being held in the Olmsted County Jail on $500,000 conditional bail.
Kinyanjui is charged with attempted murder and assault for allegedly repeatedly striking his wife’s head with a hammer at the family’s home in Rochester last May. Police rushed to the residence after his daughter fled and called 911. The police report on the incident says the responding officers had to use a shock from their Tasers to stop Kinyanjui from continuing the assault that left the victim with life-threatening injuries.