Drath's husband, held in slaying, on hunger strike Albrecht Gero Muth, the man accused of fatally beating his socialite wife in Georgetown, is hospitalized and has been on a hunger strike for nearly two months, a judge said Friday in court. Viola Drath, left, and Albrecht Gero Muth. (Washington Times, Sandy Schaeffer-Hopkins) Muth, 47, is charged with second-degree murder in the August death of 91-year-old Viola Drath, his wife of 22 years. In November, Muth fired his attorneys and decided to represent himself at trial. On Friday, D.C. Superior Court Judge Russell F. Canan said he will revisit whether Muth is able to represent himself. A hearing will be scheduled next week to determine whether Muth is mentally and physically fit to act in his own defense, Canan said. During the Friday hearing, attorneys said Muth was hospitalized, but did not say why or elaborate on his condition. Prosecutors have said that Muth pretended to be an Iraqi general and had a long list of fabricated credentials that included East German spy, CIA operative, Albanian count and Arab Sheikh. Drath's body was found in the second-floor bathroom of the home they shared in the 3200 block of Q St. NW. Muth called police and said his wife died from a fall, but a medical examiner ruled that she had been strangled and beaten.