LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — A 38-year-old man charged in a 2009 stabbing death at a Lake Charles high-rise apartment has been declared mentally competent to stand trial.

State District Court Judge Ron Ware ruled Wednesday that Deon Granger is fit to stand trial based on the recommendations of psychiatrists Dr. James Anderson and Dr. Patrick Hayes.

Public defender Andrew Casanave, who represents Granger, objected to the ruling, saying Granger has a history of mental illness, including being found incompetent to proceed on a previous charge in another parish.

Granger is accused of stabbing 26-year-old Theresa Green on Jan. 12, 2009. He is charged with second-degree murder. The case is set to go to trial Feb. 3.

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