Judge Contemplating Competency Hearing For Wife Killer

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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - A sentencing hearing for a man convicted of killing his wife has been put on hold after his lawyer informs the court that he may not have been competent to stand trial.

Last July, Cid Torrez was found guilty of second degree murder in the 2012 death of his wife Vilet, even though her body has never been found.

During the trial police and prosecutors said Torrez was enraged about his wife seeing other men after their marriage crumbled. They claim his obsession led him to secretly install spyware on her phone.

Prosecutors argued that on the morning of March 31, 2012, Vilet Torrez was returning to their Miramar townhome when Cid confronted and killed her, then buried her body in the Everglades.

Torrez conviction carries a prison term of anywhere from 30 years to life in prison.

During a hearing on Wednesday, Torrez attorney told the judge that his client claims to have been hearing voices in jail, going back to March.

Torrez also claims that he's suffering from paranoid delusions, according to his attorney who cited his client's strange behavior during what was supposed to be his sentencing hearing on October 5th.

on the verge of sentencing, Torrez threw the proceedings into turmoil with a bizarre pronouncement that halted court.

"Commander in Chief, the witch hunt ends here," said Cid Torrez.

The judge then suspended the proceedings until October 23rd so Torrez could undergo mental health evaluations.

Torrez attorney is now asking the court to determine if his client was even competent to stand trial in the first place. The judge will decide Monday on whether to open a competency investigation. If she rules that one is not needed, she's expected to set a new sentencing date.