Judge rules Loughner not competent to stand trialTucson, Arizona (CNN) -- Jared Lee Loughner, accused of a mass shooting in which he allegedly tried to assassinate U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, isn't competent to stand trial, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Larry Burns said he based his decision on two recent court-ordered mental evaluations of Loughner at a federal hospital in Springfield, Missouri.
"The defendant was not able to comprehend the charges," Burns said.
A 52-page evaluation by psychologist Christina Pietz and a 43-page evaluation by psychiatrist Matthew Carroll both concluded that Loughner isn't fit for trial because he cannot assist in his defense due to mental illness. Both evaluations were recorded, but they weren't shown in court.
Burns said he agreed with Carroll's evaluation that said Loughner is "clearly illogical and confused." The judge said Loughner wasn't masquerading a mental illness and noted that he had been acting bizarrely for the past two years.
The judge also said that Loughner doesn't like being labeled mentally ill. "He scoffs at the idea," Burns said.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/05/25/arizona.loughner.competency/index.html?hpt=T2 I'm actually a little surprised at this.. even tho I thought he was bat-shit, I just didn't expect a court to rule that way..
so now, they'll get him competent with meds and what not.. and then try him.
my question is... if he's to incompetent to stand trial and needs meds in order to be competent, then he wasn't competent when he did the crime so how can he be convicted when he was clearly nuts?
