A murder defendant, who previously provoked a judge into a vulgar, obscenity-laden exchange, was temporarily declared unfit to stand trial Tuesday, according to the Rome News-Tribune.

Denver Fenton Allen is charged with murder in connection with the death of his Floyd County jail cellmate in 2015. Allen is accused of beating fellow inmate Stephen Rudolph Nalley to death.

During an 11-minute hearing on June 17, 2016, Allen threatened the entire family of Judge Bryant Durham Jr.

“I’ll cut your children up into pieces,” Allen said. “I’ll knock their brains out with a (expletive) hammer and feed them to you.”

The state judicial watchdog agency ultimately took action against Durham, although the resolution received criticism from members of Georgia’s legal community,The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

Floyd County Superior Court Judge Billy Sparks signed an order Tuesday stating that a recent report by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Heath and Developmental Disabilities concluded that Allen is not fit for trial at this time, the News-Tribune reported.

Allen is expected to be transferred to a state facility where he can again be evaluated.

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In this file photo from October 2024, Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler and teammates react after losing to the San Diego Padres 5-4 in San Diego. The Braves and Soler, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels, face a lawsuit by a fan injured at a 2021 World Series game at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

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