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Sam Penrod ReportingThe Utah County man accused of murdering his brother last year is competent to stand trial. That was the judge's ruling today in the case of Eric Drej, who has spent the last several months at the state hospital.
It has been nearly a year since Eric Drej was arrested and then sent to the state hospital for treatment. Today the judge agreed with a doctor's report that shows Drej is now competent to be prosecuted in the shooting death of his brother Lukasz.
Drej appeared today in court, after undergoing several months of treatment, so he could be restored to competency. There were serious concerns about his mental state shortly after the murder and his attorney has said in court that Drej suffers from undifferentiated schizophrenia.
Police say Drej told them he had killed his brother to prevent him from murdering an unknown female and selling her organs on the black market. Drej was arrested at the scene shortly after his brother was shot and killed. He was armed with a handgun, rifle and shotgun. Police say that the victim was shot at least ten times.
After twice finding Drej was incompetent over the last several months, today the judge ruled that Drej can now stand trial and assist his attorneys in his defense.
Drej has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting. Now that Drej has been found competent to stand trial, prosecutors plan to ask for a preliminary hearing next week. They say they expect the case will move forward.
