Judge Rules Murder Suspect Competent to Stand Trial

St. Clair Shores 40th District Court Judge Mark Fratarcangeli ruled Friday a man charged in the Nov. 20, 2011 fatal shooting of Dashamir Matjani on Recreation Street was competent to stand trial.

The ruling on the competency of Viktor Shaholli was made after the defense and prosecution presented experts in a series of hearings that spanned nearly a year.

"After a review of the testimony, the court finds that the defendant is competent and able to understand the nature of the proceedings currently before him," Fratarcangeli stated.

Shaholli will return to court July 2 for a preliminary exam on first-degree murder and felony firearm charges. Prior to the court proceedings, defense attorney Timothy Barckovic said he will file a motion for a disability coordinator to be present during the exam to assist his client.

"Mr. Shaholli has no idea of the nature of the proceedings against him," Barckovic  stated. "He has no idea of the nature of the charges against him, nor does he have the capacity to assist me."

Fratarcangeli initially found Shaholli not competent to stand trial in June 2012, but after a re-evaluation at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Ypsilanti, a second doctor found he was competent to stand trial. 

The court then requested a second competency exam, and during the ongoing proceedings following the ruling, defense experts unsuccessfully argued that Shaholli was unable to assist his attorney with the trial or understand the charges he faced. 

Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Steve Fox stated that all of the experts who assessed Shaholli, except for the doctor hired by the defense, found him to be "malingering" or not being truthful of his mental condition.

Shaholli, a native of Albania who holds a green card, could face life in prison if convicted.