Judge questions competency of Delmont man charged with attempting to murder neighbor
A Westmoreland County judge on Friday said he wants additional testing before he decides the competency of a Delmont man in jail for more than a year on charges that he tried to kill his neighbor with a homemade rifle.
Although defense attorney James Crosby said a mental health expert determined his client, Terrance Kurhansky, 80, was competent to stand trial, Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger said he wasn’t convinced after hearing the circumstances that led to the arrest.
Kurhansky was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and firearms offenses in connection with a Sept. 17, 2019, incident in which police said he fired one round from a homemade 7 mm rifle toward his 56-year-old neighbor.
In court on Friday, Kurhansky, who appeared by video from the county jail where he is being held on $200,000 bond, told the judge he believed his neighbor was trying to kill him with high-frequency radioactive radio waves.
“He’s been harassing and abusing me over seven or eight years, shooting at my security cameras. That man just doesn’t like me at all, so I just got to a point where I decided I couldn’t take it anymore,” Kurhansky said.
Crosby said Kurhansky covered his home with foil to fend off the radio waves and has multiple Geiger counters in the residence to monitor for radiation.
“This isn’t a case where we’re looking to get him out. We’re looking at how to get him help and protect his neighbors,” Crosby said, noting that prosecutors have proposed a plea deal that calls for Kurhansky to serve up to 10 years in prison.
Assistant District Attorney Katie Ranker said the prosecution at this point will not allow Kurhansky to plead guilty but mentally ill.
Kurhansky told the judge he believed he was competent to stand trial, and Crosby said a recently completed mental health evaluation determined his client understood his charges and is able to assist with his defense.
Krieger ordered Kurhansky to receive physical examination to determine if he suffers from any medical conditions that could impact his cognitive ability.
“I’m struggling with this case. It’s hard for me to understand how a person who covers his house with aluminum foil is competent,” Krieger said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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