Crime & Safety
Ax Murderer's Insanity Plea Rejected by Judge
Cristian Loga-Negru, of Arlington Heights, could face life in prison for killing his wife with a hatchet in 2014.
A Wisconsin judge rejected Wednesday the special insanity plea of an Arlington Heights man accused of tracking down and killing his estranged wife with a hatchet in 2014, according to The (Racine, WI) Journal Times.
That ruling means Cristian Loga-Negru, 39, could face life in prison for the murder of Roxana Abrudan after she had filed an order of protection against her husband. On Nov. 21, 2014, Loga-Negru abducted Abrudan, 36, from the home in Mount Pleasant, WI, she was hiding out in, took her to a motel parking lot and used an ax to hack her in the head and face.
In May, Loga-Negru, a Romanian immigrant, pleaded no contest to first-degree intentional homicide and entered a plea of "not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect."
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RELATED: Arlington Heights Man Jailed After Wife Killed With a Hatchet
Racine County Circuit Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz, however, ruled that any anger or "emotional turmoil" Loga-Negru felt the night of killing did not constitute mental illness or insanity. If Gasiorkiewicz had ruled in his favor, Loga-Negru could have been sent to a mental hospital for psychiatric treatment.
Find out what's happening in Arlington Heightsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Loga-Negru's sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 5.
RELATED: Arlington Heights Man Pleads No Contest in Hatchet Killing of Wife
Abrudan and Loga-Negru only were married a short time before separating, and Arlington Heights police were called to their home on domestic abuse calls at least three times. Neighbors also claimed that Loga-Negru was rude, and that the couple's marriage was turbulent.
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