TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -
A Tucson man accused of killing his wife and a jail cellmate will represent himself in the first of his two upcoming murder trials in February.
The Arizona Daily Star reports King Yates’ competency has been called into question several times since the November 2016 shooting death of his wife Cassandra.
Following the April 2017 asphyxiation death of his jail cellmate Branden Roth, the Star says Yates has fired two attorneys and acted erratically in court.
A Pima County Superior Court judge ordered Yates to undergo an exam in July 2018 to determine if he was competent to represent himself or stand trial.
Yates was ruled incompetent in November 2018 and ordered to participate in the jail’s competency restoration program.
Doctors with the jail program sent a report to the court last May saying Yates had been found competent and ready to proceed without medication.
A judge ruled Monday that Yates can act as his own lawyer in the four-day first trial.
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