As survivors of the deadly January attack looked on, Jared Lee Loughner lowered his head, raised it and said what sounded like "Thank you for the freak show. She died in front of me." His words were loud but mumbled, and it wasn't clear who he was talking about. He wore a khaki prison suit and sported bushy, reddish sideburns.
U.S. District Judge Larry Burns' decision means the 21-year-old will be sent to a federal facility for up to four months in a bid to restore his competency.
The ruling came after Loughner spent five weeks in March and April at a federal facility in Springfield, Mo., where he was examined by two court-appointed mental health professionals. The two were asked to determine whether Loughner understands the consequences of the case against him.
The competency reports by psychologist Christina Pietz and psychiatrist Matthew Carroll haven't been publicly released.
Loughner has pleaded not guilty to 49 federal charges stemming from the Jan. 8 shooting at a meet-and-greet event that wounded Giffords and 12 others and killed six people, including a 9-year-old girl and a federal judge.
After the outburst, two marshals standing behind Loughner's chair grabbed him by each arm and led him from the courtroom. Loughner's father, sitting a few rows behind his son, lowered his eyes and huddled with two women seated next to him.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/25/jared-loughner-tucson-shooting_n_866723.html
Ok; so maybe he really is incompetent to stand trial. With enough drugs, electroshock therapy and a few hours of Nancy Grace each night, he should be ready in about four months. I don’t want to sound cold or heartless, but I have to ask this again. Loughner has been described as “gravely mentally ill”. Where was his family? Where were his co-workers? If he was this mentally ill couldn’t someone have done something? Are we; as human beings, really this complacent about our family members and friends? Mental illness is truly an illness, but what is a society to do with someone who takes the life of others under the cloak of a sick mind? Whatever happens here, one thing is for sure. This is going to be long and drawn out, and the families and friends of the victims have a very long road ahead of them. If only justice were swift. I think murder trials should begin in the same amount of time that it takes to purchase a handgun. Think about it. Decisions to kill others are made in this same span of time; sometimes even faster. If you kill someone with a handgun, your trial must begin (after a three day waiting period) and end within fourteen days. Could there be anymore evidence in this case? Is there any doubt that this was the man doing the shooting?
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