UTICA - A judge agreed Monday to let a 34-year-old man defend himself against charges that he beat his grandmother to death.

Oneida County Judge Barry Donalty allowed Scott Herman to represent himself just as jury selection was set to begin in Oneida County Court.

Herman had threatened not to participate in the trial if he wasn't allowed to represent himself in the second-degree murder trial, which is expected to last through Thursday or Friday. Herman had been represented by Public Defender Patrick Marthage.

Authorities accused Herman of killing his 82-year-old grandmother, Louise Herman, by slamming her head against a support beam in the basement of their Rome residence during an argument on Nov. 16. He was charged with second-degree murder, which carries a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life.

After the killing, Herman fled the state. He was captured in January in New Mexico after two months on the run.

Last month, Herman rejected a plea offer of 22 years to life in prison in exchange for admitting his guilt. He is being held without bail in the Oneida County jail.

In a five-page statement to police, Herman said he feared for his life when his grandmother came at him with a hammer.

The fight ended a history of confrontations between them that often focused on her disappointment in Herman's character, he said.