The 32-year-old American Fork man who is charged with killing his younger brother has been deemed competent to stand trial.

Fourth District Judge Samuel McVey set Eryk S. Drej's next courtroom appearance, a wavier hearing, for 10 a.m. March 28.

In Tuesday's review hearing, Anthony Howell, Drej's attorney, announced his client is now competent to stand trial and understands his right to proceed with a preliminary hearing.

Drej is charged with the death of his younger brother, Lukasz Drej, 25. American Fork police found Lukasz gunned down in the backyard basement stairwell of his mother's home on June 1, 2005.

Howell asked the judge whether or not Drej should return to the Utah State Hospital in Provo or transferred to the Utah County Jail until his next court appearance. Having been found incompetent in the last two review hearings, Drej has been held at the hospital.

In Drej's Nov. 15 appearance, Howell told the court his client suffers from undifferentiated schizophrenia, which is a mental disorder that is characterized by delusions and bizarre behavior.

"I know that they probably wouldn't want him held at the hospital," McVey said, but "I'm not sure if the jail would take that up without some advance notice."

The judge ordered Drej to be taken back to the hospital, but if other arrangements could be set up with the jail and Drej's competency wouldn't be in jeopardy, then he could look at transferring.

In June, police found Drej standing outside his mother's home with a 9 mm pistol and a shotgun, refusing to drop his weapons and saying to police "you'll have to kill me," courtroom documents show.

During an interview with American Fork police detectives, Drej said he killed his brother because "he believed Lukasz was going to kill an unknown young female and sell her organs on the black market."

Police say Drej also told detectives he had a vision his younger brother was going to harm him in some way and to protect himself, as well as the unknown female, Drej left smiley faces in his home to ward off evil.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.