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A Freeborn County District Court judge on Wednesday found that a man charged in two separate stabbings in Albert Lea last year is incompetent to stand trial.

Judge Christy Hormann said the criminal proceedings into the cases against CK Kyle Kasio, 27, will be suspended, and the Department of Human Services will start the pre-petition screening process into whether Kasio should be civilly committed.

The order came after state evaluator Linda Marshall evaluated Kasio and issued a finding of incompetence.

Neither the defense nor the prosecution challenged the finding.

Hormann said after reviewing Marshall’s report, she agreed that Kasio lacked the ability to understand the legal process and communicate with his attorney. She said she would issue a written order stating such.

She will await a decision by the pre-petition team, and the criminal case will be set up for a review hearing in six months.

Kasio has been in the Freeborn County jail since May 2022 after he reportedly stabbed three men as they were sleeping at an apartment complex at 221 E. Main St. in Albert Lea. Two of the three victims were critically injured and flown by helicopter to St. Marys Hospital.

One of the victims told police he woke up to the other victim being stabbed and then he got stabbed himself. As he tried to run away, he got stabbed in the back of his shoulder, court documents state. Police recovered a chef’s knife with a blade approximately 7 inches long about 15 feet behind the back of 221 E. Main St. and the south wall of a building at 214 Elizabeth Ave.

Kasio initially fled the scene but turned himself in at the Law Enforcement Center a little less than three hours afterward.

In the second incident in December, Kasio reportedly stabbed one inmate and then attempted to stab another while in the jail.

Court records state the incident occurred Dec. 16 and the first inmate was in his bed sleeping when Kasio reportedly came into his cell and started punching him. After a few punches, Kasio allegedly reached into the pocket of his jumpsuit and grabbed an orange Spork that had been sharpened and started stabbing the inmate. He suffered a stab wound on his right arm and three other stab wounds to the back of his head. According to court documents, Kasio then reportedly left the cell and went into the common area where he began striking a second inmate with a closed fist in the face and attempted to stab him as well.

Kasio reportedly stated he was upset that the inmate had taken his stuff and that he wanted to shave his beard and didn’t have his items to do so.

The second inmate told a deputy he was by himself when he saw Kasio come out of his cell and go into the other inmate’s cell. He stated he heard Kasio say “stop CK,” and then Kasio came out of the other inmate’s cell and punched him in the face.