The suspect in a harrowing stabbing at Point Defiance Park, which left a woman grievously injured, is slated for a mental competency hearing, throwing a wrench into the legal proceedings. Nicholas Matthew, 27, stood before the court on Thursday without issuing a plea. He has been charged with first-degree attempted murder, as reported by FOX 13 Seattle.

In a twist that suggests justice might be a long road, no bail has been set due to the state's concern about Matthew's mental competency, rooted in during the said incident where he accused his victim of being a pedophile, a claim the prosecuting attorney affirmed was baseless. Charged with such a heinous crime, now Matthew sits in custody, the wheels of his fate grinding to a halt until his mental state can be sussed out, The News Tribune reported.

The victim of the attack, referred to as "Jane" to protect her anonymity, recounted being stabbed multiple times by the assailant, who had apparently stated she needed to "meet her maker." Bystanders were alerted by her screams and intervened, sending the suspect fleeing. A DNA sample retrieved from Jane's clothes linked Matthew to the attack, setting in motion the events that now see him facing potential psychiatric evaluation.

After piecing together the travel patterns of a man trying to elude the grasp of justice, detectives found Matthew had booked it to San Francisco with aspirations of fleeing the nation. The swift hand of law enforcement was there to meet him at the airport, stopping him dead in his tracks before his escape. According to a KING 5 news report, officers had been tipped off that Matthew was possibly struggling with mental illness and had been prescribed medication, which he chose not to take, shifting instead towards cannabis as his preferred remedy.

Hanging in the balance is Matthew's ability to comprehend the gravity of the charges brought against him, the linchpin in the decision to press forward with a competency hearing scheduled for May 9. Pierce County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Lisa Wagner told KING 5, "His mother indicated to law enforcement that the defendant had been prescribed medication to deal with his mental illness." Wagner also reiterated concerns about Matthew's accusations against the victim, underscoring them as unfounded and shining light on the seemingly random nature of the brutal assault.