WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The trial date for a Farmington man accused of murdering his wife has been delayed until 2023.

Jason Dunigan, 40, is facing a jury trial after Amber Dunigan was found with a gunshot wound to the head in a car off Arkansas Highway 16 in May 2021. Dunigan was arrested and charged with capital murder on February 19.

On September 27, the defense team informed the Circuit Court of Washington County that the suspect intends to rely on the defense of “mental disease or defect” in his trial. Judge Mark Lindsay ordered Dunigan to undergo a “fitness to proceed” examination and a criminal responsibility examination.

The trial was set to begin on September 30 but was continued until January 27, 2023.

Prosecutors submitted an information sheet to the Fourth Judicial District Court on February 17, outlining the felony information of the case. The filing specifically alleges that “the defendant shot his wife in the head” and that he did so “with the premeditated and deliberated purpose of causing the death of another person.”

Investigators found a small piece of neon green fabric by the woman’s head wound and the material “appeared to be very similar to the fabric used on the suspect’s work shirts.” According to a police report, this led investigators to believe that “one of the suspect’s work shirts had been used to muffle the sound of a gunshot.”

Dunigan has entered a plea of not guilty. No deadline has been set yet for his mental health examinations.