Albrecht Muth could be in the third day of his fast in the D.C. jail, if he’s followed through on the threat he issued in Superior Court on Friday. But the fellow said so many bizarre things at the status conference on his murder case that he might be eating steak. Okay, jail burgers. Muth has been charged with second degree murder for killing Viola Drath, his wife of 22 years. Drath, a lovely socialite with deep roots in Georgetown, was found dead on the upstairs bathroom floor of the home the two shared on Q Street. She was 91. Muth called police on August 12 and said he had found his wife unconscious from a fall.
A day later Muth presented Drath’s family with a note he said had been signed by Drath. It directed them to pay him $150,000 if something were to happen to her. Funny thing — it was dated the day before Drath was found dead. And the signature was not hers. Not funny.
Then the medical examiner ruled Drath had been beaten and strangled. Then police arrested Muth, 47, and charged him with killing his wife.
The central sadness of this case is the death of a sweet, generous soul who had lived well, written plays and books — from a biography of West German statesman Willie Brandt to arts coverage in D.C. during the 1970s and 80s. But as the court proceedings turn bizarre, I wonder of the Drath family will find justice.
Is Albrecht Muth too crazy to stand trial?
From all accounts, Muth has the makings of a charlatan. He would appear at Georgetown parties in military uniform with a patch on his eye. With his German accent, he sounded legit. But his stories never added up.
When police arrested him in August he claimed to be a general in the Iraqi army. In court on Friday Muth repeated the claim.
“The government doesn’t credit any of this,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenn Kirschner said.
Muth informed Superior Court Judge Russell Canan that he wanted to represent himself in the upcoming murder trial. Muth said his public defenders were not up to the task. He told Canan that Drath’s death was “a hit by Iranian agents.” He said he wanted to assemble a defense team with a major from the U.S. Army and a captain in the Iraqi Air Force.
Sounds crazy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if defense attorneys might have tried to get a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. If that were the case, Muth could stand the chance of winding up in St. Elizabeth’s Mental Hospital for years.
There’s no justice in that result.
But Muth might save us from that no man’s land of criminal justice. Judge Canan asked if he had been treated for mental illness. Muth said no. Canan then ruled that Muth had “the requisite capability to represent yourself.”
The trial, set for next October, could be a circus, but Viola Drath’s family could get the justice they deserve.
Harry Jaffe’s column appears on Tuesday and Friday. He can be contacted at [email protected].
