JUDGE HALTS PLEA HEARING OF MAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER

A Westmoreland County Judge halted the plea hearing of a man charged with attempted murder.  The Trib reports that 48-year-old Kort Eckman was expected to plead guilty to charges connected with allegations that he stabbed his mother as she lay in bed, but Judge Christopher Feliciani ordered a third mental health evaluation to determine if he is competent to participate in his own defense.  Eckman said in court that he was troubled that his admission to the crimes would constitute a “sin”.  His mother told investigators her son suffered from delusions and believed she was a Nazi war criminal.