By Jason Riley — After more than a year of competency hearings, a Somali man accused of murdering his four children and attacking his wife in southern Louisville in 2006 has been found competent to stand trial.

And Jefferson Circuit Court Judge James Shake has set a June 14, 2010, date for the capital murder trial for Said Biyad, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, as well as to counts of attempted murder, rape and assault on his wife, Fatuma Amir, who survived the Oct. 6, 2006, attack.

Earlier this month, Shake noted in a ruling that Biyad had shown marked improvement with treatment at the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center in La Grange, according to testimony from Dr. Greg Perri, a psychologist who met with Biyad.

Last year, Perri said Biyad improved during his time at the psychiatric center and now could understand what was happening and help with his defense.

Biyad’s attorneys disputed that, saying that Biyad believed Arabs were trying to track him down and kill him, which was not a viable defense.

And defense attorneys put on a psychologist who testified that Biyad is schizophrenic.

Dr. Wayne Herner, the chief psychologist for the Kentucky Department of Corrections, also testified that Said Biyad is paranoid, has grandiose thoughts that he is a multimillionaire with “celebrity status” and is borderline mentally disabled.

But Shake ruled that Perri and the evaluators at the psychiatric center conducted physical and medical testing that revealed no abnormalities. And Perri held five sessions with Biyad, finding him competent.

Herner and another expert for the defense met with Biyad only three times and administered no tests, Shake said in his ruling June 4.

Shake said he gave “greater weight” to the findings of the psychiatric center based on the length of time spent with Biyad and the standardized testing performed.

Defense attorneys for Biyad couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Biyad has told police that he and his wife had been fighting and he forced her to have sex, then hit her with a blunt object, according to court records.

When Amir regained consciousness, she fled to a bedroom and braced the door shut so Biyad could not get in, prosecutors said in court records.

Biyad then went to the rooms where his children slept and cut their throats, according to a transcript of an interview he had with police.

“It is not right, I did bad things,” Biyad told police, according to the transcripts.

Goshany, Khadija, Fatuma and Sidi Ali, ages 2 to 8, all died in the family’s apartment in the 1400 block of Bicknell Avenue.

Reporter Jason Riley can be reached at (502) 582-4727.