Muth 'Exits the Stage' During Pretrial Hearing

Georgetown murder defendant Albrecht Muth made a series of assertions about his fast, his religious convictions and his position as an Iraqi General, during a pretrial hearing Thursday. He told the court these would be his last statements in the public realm.

"The curtain is coming down. I shall exit the stage quietly," Muth said as he ended a monologue over the phone from his hospital bed at United Medical Center.

Muth will face a jury for the murder trial of his late wife, Viola Drath, who was murdered in her Georgetown home in August 2011.

His ongoing fast has made him weak, necessitating his absence in court during the pretrial hearings.

Though much of the proceedings were dominated with the defense and prosecution debating whether or not there was a legal obligation to transport Muth to court for his trial, the defendant made a rare, lengthy statement near the end of the hearing Thursday.

Muth made five key points for the court in a statement that lasted just under 10 minutes.

First, Muth took issues with the "secular" court determining that his ongoing religious fast was "delusional" rather than religious.

He said his fast was painful and part of the "long, arduous process of discovering the heavenly realm" and the mystery of faith.

The court has repeatedly said that Muth's fast has become a distraction and a disruption to the proceedings.

In his second point, Muth took issue with the suggestion that he was delaying the trial and proceedings with his behavior.

"I wanted an early trial," Muth said. He blamed the court and his "so-called defense counsel" for any delays.

Thirdly, Muth "strongly" protests the court potentially taking away his right to appear in court during the trial.

The court is currently debating whether or not Muth will be able to physically and mentally withstand transport from the hospital and the rigors of trial. Judge Russell Canan asked the attorneys for both sides to explore the legalities of having Muth join the proceedings via live television feed.

Muth argued that even in Iraq and Egyptian judicial proceedings leaders like Gen. Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak were able to attend their hearings in stretchers.

The DC Department of Corrections Thursday said it would be "impossible" and "crazy" for them to transport Muth.

Fourth, Muth took aim at his defense counsel, whom the court appointed to defend Muth because of his ongoing health issues. He said the court was "inflicting" his "so-called" attorneys on him and that they do not represent him.

Finally, Muth criticized the court for not issuing subpoenas to high-ranking military officials, including former General David Petraeus. He said these witnesses are "critical" to establishing his credentials as an Iraqi general, which then explains why the Iranians were targeting him and how they came to accidentally kill his wife.

Muth intimated that he has been told by "high-ranking" military officials that his wife's murder was the result of a non-approved hit by the Iranian Revolutionary guard. He added that he has been asked by officials not to pursue the subpoenas in favor of US relations.

Then he concluded by "exiting the stage" and calling for God's blessings on the court, the United States and Iraq.

The court moved on relatively unfazed by Muth's statements, with Muth's defense counsel filing a motion for change of venue, which Patch will obtain later Thursday, and asking for additional items of evidence as part of discovery from the prosecution

Canan set another pretrial hearing for 10 a.m. March 14 to resolve the issue of Muth's presence in court.

Read more:

• Doctor: Albrecht Muth Faces 'Imminent Risk of Sudden Death'
• Prosecutors Seek to Include Muth's Past Crimes in Murder Trial