Mark David Russell, 30, is facing a first-degree murder charge after police say he killed 45-year-old Angela McLeod in her North 14th Street home on Jan. 20, 2020, following an apparent altercation that Fort Dodge Police responded to twice.

According to the police report of the incident, Russell allegedly struck McLeod at least three times with a golf club, killing her.

In early June, District Court Judge Angela Doyle found there was probable cause to have Russell’s mental competency evaluated at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center at Oakdale and suspend the case proceedings until the defendant was found competent.

“(The defendant) was refusing to take some of his medications, his mental health status was deteriorating and the defendant was having conversations with himself and talking to persons that he saw in the room who were not there,” Doyle said. “I was further informed that the defendant was very agitated and was running in his room and was punching a wall and was increasing self-isolation.”

Mental competency is not a defense to a crime, but a measure of if a defendant can appreciate the charges they are facing, understand the proceedings and effectively assist in their own defense.

Proceedings in this case were previously suspended for a competency evaluation on March 9, 2020. The defendant was later found competent and proceedings resumed on May 29, 2020.

During a hearing on Thursday afternoon, Doyle found Russell competent to stand trial and ordered the case proceedings to resume.

Russell’s evaluation was completed on June 22 at the IMCC, she said.

Prior to the June order for competency evaluation, Russell had requested a new attorney, writing a letter to the Clerk of Court saying he didn’t feel his current defense attorney, Charles Kenville, had been “doing a proper job at representing me.”

In the letter, Russell wrote, “I have not been receiving the proper medicine and I feel like he’s playing on my mental health state.”

A hearing on the request will be scheduled.

Russell’s jury trial is currently scheduled to commence Aug. 10, but will likely be rescheduled to a later date once a new attorney is appointed.