Federal judge rules Loughner incompetent to stand trial for Giffords shooting

PHOENIX — A federal judge has ruled that the suspect in the Arizona shooting rampage that wounded U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is mentally incompetent to stand trial, putting the criminal case on hold indefinitely.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns means 21-year-old Jared Lee Loughner will be sent to a federal facility for up to four months in a bid to restore his competency.

Story here.

Discuss. Do you think he's faking it, or is he really out of it?

I think he's had a long history of mental illness.

He needs to be put to death

What I read about his views after the shootings sure made me think he isn't in control of his rational faculties. It was a hodgepodge of extremely contradictory views, co-existing in a way that would have made IngSoc double-think look like a children's game. If those views were sincerely held, then my guess is that ee would be more than enough off of his rocker to prevent him from being able to understand the charges against him and to be able to answer rationally to those charges in a trial.

He sure LOOKS crazy.

When you plan something out, you know exactly what you're doing. This is definitely going to appeals.

When you plan something out, you know exactly what you're doing. This is definitely going to appeals.lowkey254

Well this isn't about whether he is guilty. It's about whether he's competent, at this point and time, to stand trial. As I understand it (correct me if I am wrong), if he's not competent now but becomes competent in the future, he can stand trial at that point.

I think he's had a long history of mental illness.

sonicare

Same.. And furthermore either way he goes.. He is going away a very long time.. Furthermore if you look at how hard it is to get a plea insanity, on top of the fact that people who get the plea stay in a mental hospital far longer.. They are in no way getting off easy.. They will be around other severely mentally disturbed people constantly drugged supervised the entire time.

When you plan something out, you know exactly what you're doing. This is definitely going to appeals.

lowkey254

Yet he was competent enough to buy a gun, plan this all, and pull the trigger.

The judge/court obviously understands the hate towards him and the backlash a decision like this would receive so they must have truly felt he was competent to decide to do this.SaintLeonidas

[QUOTE="SaintLeonidas"]The judge/court obviously understands the hate towards him and the backlash a decision like this would receive so they must have truly felt he was competent to decide to do this.Chutebox

it doesn't really matter if he were released for whatever reason i am pretty sure he would be mauled on the street

When you plan something out, you know exactly what you're doing. This is definitely going to appeals.

lowkey254

Considering these shootings took place minutes from my house, I'm pissed. He killed people he has to pay for his crimes I don't care if he's crazy.

it's enough that he is incarcerated and very likely cannot cause anymore harm to people.