Monkton Man Charged With Stabbing Wife Asked Police 'What Happened?': Reports

MONKTON, MD — A Monkton man accused of fatally stabbing his wife was held without bond in Baltimore County, reports said.

Police said Anthony Lechner, 55, was charged with first-degree murder in the Monday death of Kimberly Lechner, 56.

Hereford Faith & Life Church said the victim was a long-time teacher at its Two By Two preschool.

Judge Krystin J. Richardson on Tuesday ruled that the suspect will be held without bond until his trial, online court records say.

WBAL NewsRadio reported that a judge ordered a mental competency evaluation for the suspect, who told police he had no recollection of the incident.

When asked for his emergency contact, the suspect repeatedly gave his dead wife's name and phone number, his public defender told the judge, according to WJZ.

Officers told Patch the stabbing happened Monday around 6:15 a.m. inside the home the couple shared in the 900 block of Maplehurst Lane.

WJZ reported that the victim's brother witnessed the stabbing and called 911. The brother lives in the home's basement, WBAL said.

The brother heard screaming one floor above him and found his sister being attacked, WMAR said.

WMAR reported that the brother told authorities he tried prying the suspect away from his sister with a cane, but he ultimately disarmed the suspect by hitting him with a bust from a home office.

WJZ said the suspect, sitting on the stairs and covered in blood, asked arriving officers, "What happened?"

This map shows the area where the Baltimore County Police Department said the fatal stabbing happened.