Man in Lenexa dismembered body case to undergo mental evaluation

A Johnson County judge has ordered a mental evaluation for a man facing charges after his wife’s dismembered body was found in a Lenexa storage unit.

A defense attorney for Justin Todd Rey requested the evaluation to determine if he is competent to stand trial.

In order to be competent, a criminal defendant must be able to understand the nature of the charges they face and be able to assist in their own defense.

Defense attorney Courtney Henderson said in a court filing last week that he had a “good faith belief” that Rey was not competent.

Rey, 35, was charged with child endangerment in Johnson County last month ter he was found with his toddler and infant daughters at the Lenexa storage facility where police discovered his wife’s body parts in several containers.

He is in custody in Johnson County.

He told police that his wife died while giving birth at a Kansas City motel before he dismembered her body in a bathtub. Jackson County prosecutors charged him with child endangerment and abandonment of a corpse.

Rey is also facing charges in California for a homicide there in 2016.

His case in Johnson County will be stayed until the mental evaluation is completed.

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Man in Lenexa dismembered body case to undergo mental evaluation."