Murder suspect accused of dragging dead man with pickup truck found competent for trial

Joshua Wessel was found competent during a virtual hearing Sept. 22, 2021 in Kalamazoo County District Court. He is facing a charge of open murder in the 2017 death of Ron French.

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KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI – A Galesburg man is competent to stand trial in a murder case where he’s accused of tying a man up and dragging him for miles behind his own truck after killing him.

Joshua Wessel, 33, was found competent to stand trial, Kalamazoo County District Judge Richard Santoni said during a competency evaluation Sept. 22, after reviewing a report from the Center for Forensic Psychiatry.

Wessel is charged with open murder in the June 4, 2017 death of 71-year-old Ron French. He was arrested in July 2020.

Wessel was found incompetent to stand trial in September and December 2020, court records show. He was ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment. He was then found competent after the treatment.

Related: Murder suspect accused of dragging dead man with pickup truck ruled incompetent

A case does not move forward until a defendant is found competent for trial, through a competency evaluation to decide if a defendant understands the charges against them and if they can assist their attorney in a meaningful way, per state law.

Wessel, according to his arrest affidavit, allegedly “dragged French’s body to a cornfield several miles away from French’s home, leaving his remains at the dead end of South 45th Street and V Avenue.” Evidence at the scene showed that “French was dragged by cords that were wrapped around his mouth and neck.”

French was last seen alive at his residence at about 5:30 p.m. June 4, 2017. His body was not found until three weeks later on June 26, 2017.

Wessel admitted to detectives that he had stolen French’s truck, but told them he did not take it until the early morning hours of June 5 and denied any contact with French. He pleaded guilty in 2017 to a felony charge of unlawful driving away of an automobile, according to court records.

Wessel is denied bond and is at the Kalamazoo County Jail. He is scheduled for a probable cause conference at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 13.

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