CLEVELAND, Ohio - A Cuyahoga County judge is weighing whether to keep accused cop killer De’Lawnte Hardy in a state mental hospital beyond a year.

Following a five-hour-long hearing Friday, Common Pleas Judge Ashley Kilbane said she will soon issue her ruling, which is expected to dictate whether Hardy stands trial for murder or remains indefinitely institutionalized.

Hardy, 26, is charged with killing Cleveland police officer Jamieson Ritter as the officer attempted to serve a warrant on July 4, 2024. Days earlier, prosecutors say, Hardy shot and killed his grandmother. He has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges.

After Hardy was found unable to assist in his defense last September, Kilbane ordered him to receive treatment at a state hospital. There, he was diagn

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