Perhaps someone from Mr. Du Pont's family will donate some money to help improve the lives of all people with Schizophrenia (including the Heir John E. du Pont). Has anyone from NAMI approached the family?

Brian.

Chemical heir John E. du Pont could stand trial within four months for killing an Olympic wrestler, if anti-psychotic drugs can break the grip of his delusions, psychiatrists said Wednesday.

Those delusions, which cause du Pont to see himself as Jesus, the Dalai Lama and a CIA operative are so severe they will probably always threaten to return, according to the doctors. "In all probability, he'll have to take the medication for the rest of his life," said Dr. Karl Doghramji, associate professor of psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College.

After a four-day competency hearing, Delaware County Judge Patricia Jenkins ruled Tuesday that du Pont was psychotic and had him committed to a mental institution. Jenkins has ordered an update every three months to determine when du Pont, 57, is lucid enough to help with his defense and understand the nature of the crimes charged against him. Wrestler Dave Schultz, 36, was shot to death on Jan. 26. He was living with his wife and two children on du Pont's estate outside Philadelphia while training and coaching at a sports complex there.

After the shooting, du Pont, a gun collector, holed up inside his mansion for two days before police captured him. Defense attorneys said they never managed to have a coherent conversation with du Pont about his case. They say he thinks he's sane and has refused treatment. Relatives, neighbors and wrestlers said he apparently had been suffering from delusions for years. They said he once tore up his mattress to get animals out, cut off pieces of his skin to get rid of "bugs from outer space" and thought Nazis lurked in his trees.

At Norristown State Hospital, du Pont will be treated with anti-psychotic drugs, psychotherapy and social-skills training, said Dr. Richard Petty, clinical director of the Schizophrenia Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Doctors said the drugs will alleviate hallucinations and restore cohesive thought, but can cause side effects like anemia, muscle stiffness, restlessness, skin rashes, intestinal problems, headaches and involuntary muscle spasms. If the treatment works, patients start responding in four to six weeks, Petty said.

Du Pont Murder Case

A Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday declared millionaire murder suspect John du Pont mentally incompetent to stand trial in the killing of Olympic champion wrestler David Schultz.

Judge Patricia Jenkins announced her decision after 2 1/2 days of hearings into the mental state of du Pont, an heir to the du Pont family chemical fortune. On the first day of the hearings last week, two of du Pont's former lawyers testified he had claimed at different times to be the Dalai Lama, the crown prince of Russia and the Christ child and had threatened to hire a plane to fly over the White House and drop eggs on it if President Bill Clinton did not help him with bail.

The lawyers had withdrawn from representing du Pont this month after he accused them of conspiring against him with the Central Intelligence Agency. But prosecutors said du Pont was using the appearance of mental illness to avoid a trial. "The scales tipped in favour, that he is not presently competent to assist counsel in his defence," Jenkins said.

She ordered that du Pont be sent to Norristown State Hospital for treatment and that a state psychiatrist report in 60 days on his condition. Another examination was to be given in 90 days by a court-appointed psychiatrist. Under the incompetency standard, defendants cannot face trial if they are incapable of understanding the charges against them or assisting in their defence.

Delaware County District Attorney Patrick Meehan said the decision had been a close one and he was confident du Pont would eventually stand trial in the case. Psychiatrists who testified at the competency hearing also said they believed he would, after treatment, become competent within a few months.

He was charged with the Jan. 26 gunshot slaying of Schultz outside a home where the wrestler lived on du Pont's Foxcatcher estate in a Philadelphia suburb. The killing was followed by a 48-hour standoff before du Pont surrendered. Du Pont's relatives this month petitioned to take control of his estate, saying he was incapable of managing it.