An Armstrong County man facing trial in Common Pleas Court for allegedly striking his ex-fiance in the head with a hatchet while she slept in her Summit Township home a year ago is claiming mental infirmity in his defense, his attorney said Tuesday.

Dean Jay Law, 30, of Apollo, is being held in prison without bail on felony charges of attempted homicide, burglary, criminal trespass and two counts of aggravated assault, and a misdemeanor charge of false identification to a law enforcement officer filed by state police following the June 9, 2020 incident.

With Law attending Tuesday's hearing virtually from the jail, his attorney, Michael Waltman, argued against a motion filed by prosecutors requesting that he turn over a mental health evaluation report about Law prepared by Dr. Alice Applegate.

Waltman told Judge William Shaffer that he filed a motion seeking permission to not turn over the report, but withdrew the motion after learning court rules do not require the defense to turn over such reports until the prosecution's expert conducts an evaluation of Law.

He filed a motion objecting to the prosecution's motion that asks the court to order him to turn over the report.

Assistant District Attorney Mark Lope acknowledged that court rules don't require the defense to turn over the report, but the report could have information that could assist in the prosecution's evaluation that will be conducted by Dr. Louis Martone.

Shaffer didn't make a ruling, saying he would take the motions and arguments under advisement.

Investigators allege Law walked into his then-28-year-old former fiance's home on Bonniebrook Road while she was still asleep shortly before 7 a.m., uninvited and unnoticed, and attacked her in her upstairs bedroom. He didn't say a word and left after the alleged assault, police said.

Several family members were in the house at the time. They eventually found out what happened and called 911.

Police found the woman lying on the living room floor with a tomahawk protruding from her forehead. She told police Law struck her in the head with the tomahawk. She was flown to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh with the hatchet in her skull.

Law was arrested after he drove to the woman's house through a field in a pickup truck while police were still there interviewing members of her family.