District Court Judge Gregg Rosenbladt ordered that all proceedings in the case be suspended pending evaluation of Lukouxs Brown’s competency. The defendant will be sent to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville, where he will undergo psychiatric treatment, if necessary, to restore competency.

Wayne Smith, 50, of Fort Dodge, was found dead in the employee locker room of the pork processing plant in the early morning of Feb. 16. According to the criminal complaint, Brown, 26, of Fort Dodge, cut Smith’s throat.

According to the DCI, the victim and suspect, both employees of Prestage Foods, knew each other. The exact nature of their relationship is under investigation.

Brown’s attorney filed a motion for a competency hearing on Feb. 24. The judge filed the subsequent written order last week.

Defense attorney Charles Kenville said that the defendant “exhibited an abnormal thought process, stated he had been ‘hearing voices,'” and “appeared to respond to outside stimuli that were not present in reality.”

Kenville said Brown was hospitalized for chronic schizophrenia in Oregon from October 2019 to February 2020 and has a longstanding history of illness with the disorder.

Ordering a defendant to undergo mental competency evaluation to determine their ability to stand trial does not release them from charges. If found incompetent, defendants are typically treated until their mental state is restored enough to continue with criminal charge proceedings.