NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A defendant who brought an abrupt end to an October first-degree murder trial by smearing his head and face with excrement in an open courtroom faces a mental competency hearing Thursday in New Orleans, where a judge could put him back on track for prosecution in the death of a police officer.

Six weeks ago, state District Judge Karen Herman declared Travis Boys incompetent. She ordered a mental evaluation and treatment aimed at restoring his competency so he can be tried in the June 2015 shooting death of Officer Daryl Holloway.

Jury selection was underway last month when Boys, seated at the defense table, pulled a plastic bag full of feces from his clothing. He rubbed the waste on his head and face, and even licked it from his fingers, according to a defense attorney who had been seated next to him.

According to testimony at a hearing last month, Boys is believed to have smuggled the feces into the courthouse when he was transferred from the New Orleans jail. He had used a bag from the lockup's commissary, according to testimony from a Sheriff's Office attorney. It was apparently secreted away in his underwear and was undetected when he changed from prison garb into a suit for jury selection.

Prosecutors decried it as a well planned and executed stunt aimed at delaying trial. They objected to Herman ruling him incompetent. There had been conflicting testimony from experts when Herman said she would be "erring on the side of caution" and made the ruling.

Holloway was fatally shot as he transported Boys to jail after an earlier arrest. Police believe the gun police was smuggled into the police SUV Holloway was driving.

Boys, who has pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity, was arrested a day following the shooting after an intense manhunt.