Court Proceedings Suspended for Woman Accused of Attacking Husband with Swords

Court proceedings have been suspended for a northeast Iowa woman, accused of attacking her husband with a pair of swords, pending an evaluation on her competency to stand trial.

59-year-old Kim Cannon of Hawkeye was charged with attempted murder, a Class B felony, when she was arrested January 18th by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.

According to court documents, Cannon was accused of striking her husband with swords, causing large cuts to the back of his head and to his face, including one through an eye socket. 

Cannon has pleaded not guilty, but on Monday (05.22), her legal counsel filed a motion seeking an evaluation of her competency to stand trial, currently scheduled for August 2nd in Fayette County District Court. In his motion defense attorney Nathan Moonen states Cannon “suffers from blackout spells and appears to have severe competency issues ” and the Fayette County Attorney has also consented to the defense’s application.

Tuesday (05.23), a judge ordered court proceedings be suspended pending an evaluation by a State psychiatrist at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coralville. In the event Cannon is found to be incompetent, restoration to competency will be performed.  A report on that evaluation is due within 10 days of its conclusion.