A judge determined on Friday (local time) that the man accused of killing 10 people at a grocery store in Colorado last year is still unable to stand trial, postponing his prosecution.
Since December, when a judge initially determined that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 23, was mentally incompetent, the court case against him has been put on hold. The rulings mean he is unable to understand legal proceedings or work with his lawyers to defend himself.
Alissa was not present in the Boulder courthouse on Friday; he was still receiving treatment at the state mental institution.
During the brief hearing, relatives of those deceased sat in the courtroom while others watched online. District Court Judge Ingrid Bakke said Alissa’s latest evaluation on October 10 showed that there was a substantial probability that he could be treated to be made competent in the “foreseeable future,” echoing an outlook she first shared in March.
Bakke expressed sorrow when District Attorney Michael Dougherty stated that the families of the victims were dissatisfied with the state hospital and the medical staff there and noted that there was little the defence or prosecution could do while Alissa was receiving treatment.
Bakke acknowledged that the procedure was exceedingly frustrating and scheduled a subsequent hearing for January 27 to examine Alissa’s status.
In Boulder, Colorado, a college town, Alissa is charged with opening fire both outside and inside a King Soopers supermarket on March 20, 2021. He murdered patrons, employees, and a police officer who attempted to put an end to the attack. Alissa surrendered after another officer shot and wounded him, according to authorities.
Why the investigators think Alissa committed the attack remains a mystery to the public.
Robert Olds, the uncle of front-end manager Rikki Olds, one of the 10 individuals killed, said he frequently “builds up a wall” before each review hearing to prevent getting his hopes and expectations too high.
However, he vowed to continue appearing in court to seek justice for his niece.
Along with an initial team of police officers, the attackers that rushed inside the business were Denny Stong, Neven Stanisic, Tralona Bartkowiak, Teri Leiker, Suzanne Fountain, Kevin Mahoney, Lynn Murray, Jody Waters, and Eric Talley.
Alissa is accused of putting the lives of 26 additional individuals in jeopardy while also being charged with numerous attempted murders.
Alissa’s lawyers have not commented on the allegations.
He hasn’t been prompted to enter a plea just yet.
His evaluations of his mental health have not been the subject of public reports. But court documents that addressed one of them last year said he was provisionally diagnosed with an unspecified mental health condition limiting his ability to “meaningfully converse with others. ”
After Friday’s hearing, Dougherty, who said his office has been receiving records on Alissa’s treatment, said he has at times shown improvement but declined to elaborate.
Competency is a distinct legal problem from a plea of not guilty due to insanity, which concerns whether a defendant’s mental state rendered them incapable of distinguishing right from wrong at the time of the offence.
Alissa lived in the nearby suburb of Arvada, where authorities say he passed a background check to legally buy the Ruger AR-556 pistol six days before authorities say he used it in the shooting..
The suspect in a Colorado supermarket homicide cannot be tried just yet.
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