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Fla. decapitation murder trial under way

CLEARWATER, Fla., Sept. 24 (UPI) -- A murder trial for a Florida man accused of a decapitating a love rival and holding his head up to a mirror was under way in Clearwater, Fla.

Prosecutors say Dennis George Roache, 40, in 2002 used a machete to decapitate Gregory Shannon, 18, and then raised a mirror to the severed head so the victim could see himself, The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported Wednesday.

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Roche, who has been imprisoned since the slaying, was found mentally competent to stand trial last year on charges of first-degree murder. His attorneys say he is schizophrenic and are seeking a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Family members say Roche, a native of Jamaica, has a long history of mental illness and of hearing voices. The Times said he was accused of choking his wife in 1993 and was sent to a mental hospital.

Authorities say Roche killed Shannon because he was the new suitor of ex-girlfriend Monique Pennywell.

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