Moorhead woman charged with attempted murder to undergo competency evaluation – InForum

MOORHEAD – Nearly a month after her arrest on attempted murder and assault charges in connection with the stabbing death of a 43-year-old man in South Moorhead, Mary Nicole Hjelseth appeared in domestic violence court Wednesday morning with her attorney and asked the court to order an evaluation of Hjelseth's mental state.

Hjelseth, 36, of Moorhead, was arrested by Moorhead police on Aug. 16, a day after officers responded to a 911 call from an apartment complex in the 1800 block of 20th Street South where a man had suffered a severe laceration to his neck.

The victim, who lived in the apartment where the stabbing took place, told officers he invited Hjelseth over and she attacked him for no reason and then left while he went to a neighbor for help. His injuries were initially described as life-threatening.

Jesse Mickels, a Clay County public defender, said that reports of previous incidents involving Hjelseth included in the case's evidence file, as well as his own conversations with her, led him to doubt her fitness to participate in the proceedings. He requested an examination by a doctor under the Minnesota Rules of Criminal Procedure before the case could proceed.

Clay County Prosecutor Pamela Foss said she found nothing in the disclosure documents that led her to believe such an investigation was necessary, but Judge Jade Rosenfeldt granted Mickels' request.

Mickels also asked for Hjelseth's bail to be reduced to $50,000 and for a condition to be added that she would be sent directly to an inpatient treatment facility if she paid the bail.

Foss said the state “strongly” objected to the motion because Hjelseth's release before trial showed she was a high-risk individual and Hjelseth had a conviction for fleeing from a crime on her record.

Rosenfeldt sided with the state and denied the request for a bail reduction, citing Hjelseth's history of contempt of court and his “violent behavior.”

The proceedings against Hjelseth are adjourned while she awaits and undergoes a competency assessment. No further hearing in the case has been scheduled.

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