WASHINGTON, D.C. – A German national charged with killing his 91-year-old socialite wife in Washington is being moved to a psych ward after claiming to see the Archangel Gabriel.
A judge issued the order after finding Albrecht Muth, 47, who is charged in the August 2011, killing of Viola Drath in their Georgetown home, incompetent to stand trial. Muth suffers hallucinations that he speaks to the angel Gabriel and plans a hunger strike inspired by God, Jesus and Moses, according to a doctor who testified in court Tuesday.
Muth originally claimed that he found Drath dead in her bathroom and then called police without any attempts to revive her. After further investigation, however, police found no evidence of forced entry and found DNA linking him to the scene.
Muth, who had initially denied touching Drath's dead body, later told the detectives that he kissed her and touched her hand, accounting for the DNA. Drath was a German journalist and socialite who frequently wrote about German-American relations.
The couple, who wed in 1990, allegedly had a marriage marred with rage and infidelity. A domestic violence charge in 2008 was dropped when Drath declined to press charges. Murth had allegedly beaten her with a chair during a fight stemming from issues of intellect and social equality.
After Drath was found dead in August 2011, detectives found a letter dated April 11 stating that Drath's family was to pay Muth $150,000 if she died. The letter also claimed that Muth would receive an additional $50,000 if the liquid assets in her estate totaled more than $600,000. Authorities determined the letter to be forged by Muth.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
