DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of killing and sexually assaulting a woman in Dubuque has changed his plea to guilty. Twenty-two-year-old Helmon Betwell was sentenced Thursday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after he entered the new plea. A charge of sexual assault was dismissed. Betwell’s trial was scheduled to begin next week. Police say he attacked 66-year-old Nancy Krapfl on Sept. 1, 2015, as she was walking in Dubuque.

In April last year a judge ruled Betwell was competent for trial after his lawyers had questioned his ability to help prepare his defense. A defense expert had said Betwell has an intellectual disability that prevents him from understanding the proceedings. The judge said subnormal intelligence is just one consideration in a competency decision.