OKLAHOMA CITY – A man accused of killing the Oklahoma Labor Commissioner said he won’t apologize for killing his father.
Christian Costello has pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge in the Aug. 23 death of his father, former Labor Commissioner Mark Costello.
Prosecutors say Christian Costello attacked his father with a knife and repeatedly stabbed him at an Oklahoma City restaurant. In February, Costello waived his right to a preliminary hearing in the case.
Defense attorney Bob Ravitz has said Costello is “very remorseful” and was examined by a private psychiatrist.
Costello’s family says he suffers from a mental illness and court records show Costello previously spent 90 days in a mental health facility and took mood stabilizers.
In May, Costello went before Judge Ray Elliott for a pre-trial hearing.
During the hearing, Costello told the court that he “wanted to plead guilty and go to Minnesota to meet with a pediatrician that once helped him,” according to Ravitz.
Costello also allegedly claimed that the doctor made him a “32nd degree mason and would give him a hand anytime he needed it.”
After listening to the plea, Elliott ordered the Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health to examine Costello to see if he was competent enough to enter a guilty plea.
Today, the judge was scheduled to decide whether Costello was mentally competent to plead guilty.
In a report filed by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health, a psychiatrist wrote that Costello has a severe mental disease, Schizoaffective disorder.
The psychiatrist who examined Costello said the defendant suffers from paranoid delusions and is mentally incompetent to stand trial for first-degree murder.
The report states that while Costello understands the charges filed against him, he is not able to consult with his attorney and rationally assist in the preparation of his defense.
After reviewing the report, the prosecution asked that they get their own evaluation.
The judge approved the request and scheduled another hearing in nine weeks.
During the hearing, Costello delivered a rambling minute-long diatribe.
He admitted to killing his father, saying he was a “hit man” and the killing was part of a “military operation.”
Costello also stated he does not apologize for killing his father.
He said his father would have killed him.
Costello then went on to say that he was a slave and that he sold his soul to Hillary Clinton.
After the hearing, his family issued a statement saying, “Our family has faced overwhelming loss. As we continue to work on our own healing, we pray for Christian through this difficult time. In spite of this horrible tragedy, we understand that our loved one, like thousands of Oklahomans, suffers with a mental illness.”
Another hearing is scheduled for Oct. 12.
