Man accused of killing wife to be evaluated

10/24/2007

Before an East Toledo man faces murder charges in Lucas County Common Pleas Court, he will be evaluated to determine whether he is competent to stand trial.

Youssef Ramadan, 44, of 1002 Front St., is accused of fatally stabbing his wife and severely beating his teenage son in the family's home.

Yesterday, attorney Jon Richardson asked that his client's arraignment on murder charges be postponed so he could be evaluated. County Assistant Prosecutor Rob Miller asked that the judge order a second evaluation on behalf of the state.

After granting the request, Judge Frederick McDonald scheduled a Nov. 20 hearing date.

"We asked to give us a month so that a private mental health care professional can examine Youssef to see if he is competent to stand trial," Mr. Richardson said after the hearing. He declined further comment on the case.

Mr. Ramadan was arrested Sept. 26 after eluding authorities for hours. Toledo police said he beat and fatally stabbed his wife, Mirvat Ramadan, 40, and then bludgeoned his 14-year-old son, Mohamad, who was apparently trying to stop the attack.

The teen suffered a broken jaw, a laceration to the face, and bruises. His 13-year-old sister was not home at the time.

Last week, Mr. Ramadan was indicted by a county grand jury on two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and one count of attempt to commit murder.

The prosecutor's office said Mr. Ramadan faces two counts of murder for the death of his wife and that the attempted murder and felonious assault charges relate to the attack on his son.

One of the murder charges is proved if a jury believes that Mr. Ramadan intended to kill his wife. The second is proved if a jury believes that Mrs. Ramadan died as a result of him committing a felony of violence.

Yesterday, more than a dozen of Mr. Ramadan's family members crowded into the courtroom. They declined to comment after the hearing.

Mrs. Ramadan's family was not in court.

Judge McDonald set bond totaling $1.25 million. Mr. Ramadan remains in the Lucas County jail.