Texas man charged in wife's 1973 death held without bond while hospitalized in Illinois

This undated photo provided by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office shows Donnie Rudd. Rudd has been arrested on a warrant charging him in the 1973 death of his wife in suburban Chicago. Rudd, who is 73, was being held Friday Dec. 18, 2015 on $1 million bond at the Fort Bend County Jail outside Houston after being arrested at his apartment in Sugar Land, Texas. (Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office via AP, File) (The Associated Press)

A Houston-area man charged last week in the 1973 death of his wife in suburban Chicago is being held without bond while he is hospitalized in Illinois.

Donnie Rudd didn't appear in court Monday. His attorney, Tim Grace, said the 73-year-old is being treated at a suburban Chicago hospital for a bacterial skin infection.

Rudd was arrested last week at his Texas apartment on charges he killed his 19-year-old wife, Noreen Kumeta Rudd.

Noreen Rudd was reported killed in a car accident in Barrington Township less than a month after they were married. Authorities now believe Donnie Rudd killed her by hitting her on the head and that the accident was staged to cover up her murder.

Grace says the charges are "unjustified."

A bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday.