A man charged with beating his girlfriend's mother to death horrified a courtroom by defecating and smearing feces on his face.

Bryan Schwartz, 27, of Terrytown, New Orleans, was removed from the courtroom on Thursday after covering his face in his own waste.

He said: 'Life is like a box of chocolates', one witness told the Sun Herald.

Bryan Schwartz, 27, of Terrytown, New Orleans, was removed from the courtroom on Thursday after covering his face in his own waste

Schwartz was chained to other inmates in the jury box at the time. Following the incident, he was immediately removed by a corrections officer.

A witness told NOLA: 'As he walked out, he was just smiling at the crowd.'

His hearing was rescheduled.

It was not clear if Schwartz was suffering from mental illness. His attorney, Marquita Naquin, could not be reached for comment on Friday.

The 27-year-old and his girlfriend Misty Eiermann, 35, have both been charged in the second-degree murder of her mother, Mary Romano.

Ms Romano, 56, was found on September 9 beaten to death in her own home with a flashlight.

She had suffered severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene.