A man charged with murder and animal cruelty for allegedly running over and killing a pedestrian and his dog in Boston on Saturday is being sent to a mental hospital to evaluate his fitness to stand trial.

William Haney will be back in court on Jan. 23 for a competency hearing after a 20-day evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital.

Prosecutors said that Haney struck 79-year-old John Axelrod with a Toyota SUV while the victim was on a morning walk with his dog.

Axelrod is a major donor to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

A witness told the police that before the incident, the defendant had asked if a man with a dog wearing a red jacket had passed by. When the witness pointed out Axelrod, Haney allegedly used some derogatory language, sped up, and aimed his car directly at the victim.

Haney “targeted the victim in this manner and ran him over,” prosecutor Ursula Knight said.

Axelrod was pronounced dead at the scene.

Following the incident, Haney fled, Knight said, first stopping at a Dunkin Donuts where he pulled a rope from the front of his car, throwing it in a dumpster. Police recovered it later and saw that it was Axelrod’s dog’s leash.

Knight described how Haney then tried to get his car fixed before eventually abandoning the car at Thorndike Street and Harvard Street in Brookline.

Haney later walked into the Brookline Police Station with his brother, who believed that Haney had only been in an accident.

A doctor who testified at Haney’s arraignment said that he did not appear to fully understand the situation he was in. Haney has a history of mental illness — he’s been diagnosed with schizophrenia in the past — and had changed his medications in August. Haney has been struggling ever since, the doctor said.

While being interviewed, Haney was smiling and looking around the room “as if he was hearing auditory hallucinations,” according to the doctor.

Haney’s attorney Keith Halpern said that his client was “actively delusional” during the incident and has been “fighting for months” with his mental health.

Halpern said that his family has been trying to help Haney, who doesn’t have a criminal or violent history.

“They want to express how sorry they are,” he said.

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Haney had been able to live independently and work in the past, Halpern said, adding that many people with mental illness “lead good lives.”

— Developing