Drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman will undergo a psych exam after the appeal was OK'd by a Brooklyn federal judge on Wednesday.
A psychologist will evaluate the infamous Mexican drug lord next week after his lawyer argued that Guzman's memory and overall mental state had detoriated during his time in solitary confinement, CNN reported.
Addressing reporters after a pretrial hearing on Wednesday, Guzman's attorney, Eduardo Balarezo, said, "I'm alleging that the conditions that he's been under for the last nine months or so are affecting his memory, affecting his ability to relay information that I need as his lawyer to defend him," CNN noted.
The attorney said his client lived in a freezing cell, with no running water and little human contact, Newsweek reported.
According to the defense, Guzman had been suffering from auditory hallucinations and depression, and was battling with his memory.
"At this time, counsel does not allege that Mr. Guzmán is not competent," court documents state, according to Newsweek. "Rather, counsel suggests that Mr. Guzman's condition may eventually result in a finding of incompetence if it is not addressed soon."
U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan granted permission for the evaluation on condition that Guzman talk to a psychologist without any physical contact, WBNG noted.
Balarezo said that, with Guzman's failing memory, he was concerned that he would not be able to assist in his defense.
Guzman is charged in connection with 12 murder conspiracies, drug trafficking, and money laundering and faces indictments in six jurisdictions.
He escaped twice from Mexican prisons, the latest in July 2015 through a tunnel burrowed under the facility.
According to CNN, he was extradited to the U.S. from Mexico in January and ushered to Brooklyn's federal courthouse for his arraignment. His trial is set to begin in April 2018.
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