Man accused of decapitating wife leaves hospital for jail

A man who police say beheaded his wife and two dogs before turning the knife on himself was released from the hospital and booked into jail on a murder charge, officials said Sunday.

The Phoenix Police Department said Wakefield was released from the hospital Saturday afternoon and was booked on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of animal cruelty.

In what authorities describe as “an absolutely horrific scene,” Kenneth Wakefield, 43, is suspected of killing his wife, Trina Heisch, 49, and leaving her body – along with two dead dogs – inside the bedroom closet of their apartment.

According to officials, Wakefield answered the door and the neighbor saw he was naked and had a portion of his arm cut off. Wakefield also had a missing right eye which was gouged out.

Wakefield spent 10 years in a state mental hospital after stabbing a relative in 2003.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Wakefield had an attorney who could comment on the case.

In November 2014, a state psychiatric board issued an order for county prosecutors to try to extend his stay.

The Maricopa County attorney’s office acknowledged earlier this week that it was unsuccessful.

The suspect and victim reportedly met at a mental health facility.

Police said that Wakefield had been arrested in 2003 after being accused of attempting to kill a family member, while Heisch was arrested in March after allegedly trying to stab her husband. It was not clear what specific mental illness either has suffered from.