A pretrial hearing is scheduled for today, October 30th, for a 38-year-old Eastpointe resident, Timothy Fradeneck, who is accused of killing his wife and two young children. Fradeneck is charged with strangling his wife, their eight-year-old son, and their two-year-old daughter. Prosecutors say Fradeneck told them that he pre-calculated the murders for several months. His plan included strangling his family as they slept by forcing the air out of their lungs.
A defense attorney asked for a hearing today to determine if Fradeneck’s statements to the police will be admitted at trial. He says his client was seriously mentally ill at the time of the killings and that medication he had been taking may have made him incapable of waiving his Miranda Rights. A State forensic expert previously determined that Fradeneck is mentally ill, but is not insane. Fradeneck’s attorney was given permission and will seek an independent mental evaluation.