Darnell McCauley has been charged with stabbing his brother during an argument at a residence in Neenah. (Photo courtesy Winnebago County Sheriff's Office)
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A man who allegedly stabbed his brother 18 times is now mentally competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Darnell McCauley, 26, is charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide for the Dec. 18 incident at a residence on Marathon Avenue in Neenah.
Previously, McCauley was deemed incompetent to stand trial. That means he was unable understand the court proceedings and/or assist in his own defense. After psychiatric treatment, however, McCauley is now fit for the case to proceed, court records show.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 11.
A woman at the home told police McCauley had made multiple comments about killing his brother and her. At one point, an argument about a cigar escalated. She thought it had defused, but moments later saw McCauley stabbing his brother, the complaint states.
The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment of wounds to his arm, neck, head, shoulder and back — with a total of least 18 different injuries, including a punctured lung.
The victim told police “that the defendant was acting up while drinking and he is the one who started things and (the victim) was just trying to keep the defendant from acting up,” the complaint says.
However, McCauley told police his brother was the one who had the knife, and he was acting in self-defense.
“The defendant stated that they were all drinking and smoking crack before the incident. The defendant stated that they had been fighting because (his brother) and (the woman) use him. The defendant stated that he cooks and cleans for them and he pays rent and they continue to use him. The defendant stated that he got irritated and his tolerance is low,” the complaint states.
The complaint also notes a Nov. 26 incident where McCauley went to the Neenah Police Dept. asking to be arrested because he was upset and planned to kill his brother. Crisis counselors were contacted at that time.
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