Judge rules Albrect Muth competent to stand trial The man accused of fatally beating his wife in their Georgetown home in 2011 was found mentally competent Thursday morning, setting the stage for a potentially high-profile trial in early 2013. D.C. Superior Court Judge Russell F. Canan ruled Albrecht Gero Muth, 48, competent to stand trial after nearly a week of testimony from mental health and other experts. Muth has been charged with first-degree murder in the August 12, 2011, killing of Viola Herms Drath, 91. Muth has long maintained that he is an Iraqi general - one of several personas he adopted over the years - and that his wife's death was an Iranian hit. Muth has told doctors that if he were found competent, he would fire his court-appointed attorneys and represent himself. He has also said he would seek a bench trial rather than a trial by jury. If convicted, Muth could spend the rest of his life in prison.