February 9, 1996
Web posted at:4:00 p.m. EST
MEDIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- The murder trial of chemical heir John E. du Pont will not be delayed for a ruling on the defendant's competency, a district court judge ruled Friday.
Du Pont's attorneys had requested a postponement pending a decision on whether their client is mentally fit to stand trial, but the motion was denied. The trial is scheduled to begin March 21.
Du Pont is charged with the January 26 murder of wrestler Dave Schultz, who lived on the millionaire's 800-acre estate with his wife and children.
During a preliminary hearing Friday, prosecutors called Schultz's wife, Nancy, to present evidence that a crime was committed and that there is probable cause to proceed with charges against du Pont.
Mrs. Schultz has previously told police she saw part of the incident in which du Pont allegedly killed her husband.
"I heard a shot. I heard a loud scream from David," she told the court Friday. When she went outside, she said, she saw her husband lying in the snow, then watched du Pont shoot him in the back.
Mrs. Schultz said she did not hear an argument before the incident, adding that she would have heard such an exchange if there were one.
Du Pont was tested Wednesday at University of Pennsylvania hospital. Attorneys would not disclose the results of those tests which included brain scans and other neurological tests.
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