PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A Peoria County man has been found fit to stand trial for the death of his grandmother but there’s no date for that to happen.
During a hearing Thursday in Peoria County Circuit Court, Chief Judge Katherine Gorman found Cody Krause was “mentally fit to stand trial with continued medication.” Krause, 29, will now be housed at the Peoria County Jail and will next appear in court on June 1 where his attorney will try to outline possible legal defense that will involve his mental health, according to documents filed Thursday.
Krause has been housed at a secure facility within the Department of Human Services where he has been undergoing treatment. It is possible that a trial date could be set at the June 1 hearing.
He is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the April 14, 2022, death of 73-year-old Glenda Rusterholz. Krause is accused of killing the woman who was found in her living room with her face and skull crushed.
His attorney sought a psychological exam shortly after his arrest and on July 8, 2022, he was found unfit to stand trial. Being unfit means that a person isn’t able to help their attorney with the case. If that’s the case, then the case stops until a defendant can be made fit and help in his own defense.
Krause allegedly used a hammer to strike his grandmother an unknown number of times, according to court records. He told deputies with the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office that he was hearing voices in his head but that they stopped when he killed Rusterholz.
If convicted, Krause faces at least 20 years and possibly up to life in prison.
