The Ann Arbor woman accused of killing her father by stabbing him between 25 and 30 times will face her first preliminary exam Thursday.

Susan Wade

Courtesy of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office

Susan Wade, 48, is charged with one open count of murder in the death of her father, Ronald Mason, on June 9. Wade is accused of stabbing 86-year-old Mason to death while he slept at his home in the 1700 block of Covington Drive.

The preliminary exam is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the 14A-1 District Court in Pittsfield Township.

The exam is Wade’s first court hearing after her arraignment on the open murder charge last week. It’s unlikely any significant action will be taken at the hearing on Thursday; Wade has been described by her daughter as severely mentally ill and there likely will be competency issues that need to be sorted out before she can face trial.

Kristine Crossman, Wade’s daughter, told AnnArbor.com her mother is schizophrenic and has a history of drug abuse.

Wade will be represented by the Washtenaw County Public Defender’s Office.

An open charge of murder allows the jury to distinguish if the crime is first-degree or second-degree murder. Michigan law does not require a prosecutor to distinguish between the two charges when bringing a case against an individual.

Wade is being held without bond in the Washtenaw County Jail.

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.