DENVER (AP) — Doctors determining whether a man charged with killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in March is mentally competent to stand trial are getting some more time to finish their evaluation.
Judge Ingrid Bakke ruled Monday that the two state doctors evaluating Ahmad Alissa can have until Oct. 11 to complete their evaluation, giving them a total of about five weeks to finish rather than the three weeks she originally ordered.
Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in March, is led into a courtroom for a hearing Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski/Pool)
Alissa’s lawyers had asked that the doctors be given two more months in part because of the thousands of pages of police reports that had been given.
Prosecutors objected to allowing more time for the evaluation.
The evaluation is meant to determine whether Alissa, 22, is able to understand court proceedings and assist his lawyers in defending him. It’s a separate legal issue than a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, which hinges on whether someone’s mental health prevented them from knowing right from wrong when a crime was committed.
A hearing scheduled for Thursday to discuss the evaluation results has been delayed until Oct. 14. Another hearing in which prosecutors are scheduled to present evidence to show why Alissa should stand trial is still scheduled for Oct. 19.
