Oklahoma man in beheading case competent to plead guilty

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) – A man charged with beheading a co-worker and trying to kill another co-worker at an Oklahoma food processing plant has been found competent to plead guilty to murder.
A Cleveland County judge on Thursday ruled that 32-year-old Alton Nolen is mentally competent to plead guilty to first-degree murder for the September 2014 death of 54-year-old Colleen Hufford at Vaughan Foods in Moore. He launched the attack shortly after the company suspended him for racial remarks. He’s also accused of trying to kill another co-worker.
In May 2016, Nolen said he wanted to plead guilty and be sentenced to death, but the judge ordered a mental evaluation to determine whether he was competent to enter the plea.
The ruling means he could be sentenced next week.