Man Charged in St. Clair Shores Murder Found Not Competent to Stand Trial

A St. Clair Shores man charged in the  was found not competent to stand trial Tuesday.

40th District Court Judge Mark Fratarcangeli made the ruling in the competency exam of Viktor Shaholli after two days of testimony from defense and prosecution experts who conducted psychological examinations of the 62-year-old man.

"The court is compelled to believe the defendant is not competent to go forward," said Fratarcangeli as he delivered his decision. "Medical documentation of the most recent psychiatric examination does determine that the defendant is unable to understand the nature of the proceeding presently."

Shaholli will now be remanded to the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Ypsilanti, where he will receive treatment for up to 15 months to regain competency. He will also undergo a CT scan to determine if suffering from vascular-type dementia, which the defense alleges.

If he is later determined to be competent, he would still face first-degree murder and felony firearm charges.

The ruling was made after Fratarcangeli heard testimony Tuesday from a Dr. Donna Rinnas, who conducted the exam for the prosecution and found Shaholli to be competent to stand trial.

Dr. Gerald Shiener, who conducted an exam for the defense, testified May 31 and found the suspect was not competent to stand trial.

In both exams, it was noted that Shaholli had poor personal hygiene and that he reported seeing visions of his late wife visiting him the jail. 

Shiener stated that Shaholli did not understand the court proceedings and was suffering from severe depression due to the death of his wife two years ago. In addition, Shiener said Shaholli suffered brain damage from the use of drugs to treat his migraine headaches. 

Rinnas countered by stating that there was no indication he has ever been diagnosed with a stroke and that the migraines were self-reported.

She also added that he understood what he did was "against the law" and that what he did was wrong "legally and spiritually."

"He has a multitude of serious issues," said defense attorney Timothy Barkovic, who cited that Shaholli lacked focus during the exam and didn't recall his visits. "We just hope for the best for him."

Shaholli, a native of Albania who holds a green card, is charged with first-degree murder and felony firearm charges for the Nov. 20 fatal shooting of Dashamir Matjani on Recreation Street.

If he does go to trial, and is convicted, he could face life in prison.

"I can only assume that the judge found Dr. Shiner's report credible," said Macomb County Assistant Proseuctor Steve Fox.