The man accused of killing 10 people at a Colorado grocery store in March was found incompetent to stand trial Friday and will be transferred to a state hospital, officials said.
The order from Judge Ingrid Bakke came after four doctors in three months concluded that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 22, was unable to stand trial, a spokeswoman for Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in an email.
The spokeswoman, Shannon Carbone, didn’t provide details about the doctors’ conclusions. But because they were in agreement, she said Dougherty did not call for a competency hearing and requested that Alissa be moved to the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, a facility that treats patients with acute psychiatric issues.
Alissa’s public defenders couldn’t be reached for comment Friday, but one of them, Kathryn Herold, said in court that he suffers from a “serious” mental illness, according to the Associated Press.
“Based on the latest competency evaluation, we are confident that, with medication and treatment, the defendant’s competency will be restored,” Carbone said.
She added that updates on his progress will be reported every month. His next hearing is scheduled for March 15.
Alissa allegedly opened fire inside a Boulder grocery store, King Soopers, on March 22 with a Ruger AR-556 that he bought five days before. He was charged with 10 counts of murder.
The victims include Eric Talley, 51; Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65.