Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood Shooting Suspect Declared Unfit To Stand Trial

Robert L. Dear Jr., the man responsible for the shooting at a Planned Parenthood center in Colorado Springs last year, has just been declared unfit to stand trial. According to Judge Gilbert A. Martinez, the suspect is "mentally incompetent" and announced that Dear must be sent to a mental hospital to restore his competency.

The Courtroom Drama

Judge Gilbert A. Martinez's ruling was based on the reports of the two state psychologists who have met with Robert L. Dear Jr. Both psychologists reported that the suspect was not competent.

According to New York Times, Robert L. Dear Jr. was unhappy with the judge's ruling. He shouted that the decision was "prejudiced" and called Judge Martinez a "filthy animal."

Is Robert L. Dear Jr. Competent?

This isn't the first time that Dear's competency has been questioned. Prior to the Planned Parenthood shootings, the suspect believed that the federal government is after him. In addition to that, the suspect had installed a listening device in his pickup truck to find out if "the feds" are on to him.

Dear had also attempted to fire his public defenders and decided to serve as his own lawyer (via New York Times). The outburst had resulted in Judge Martinez calling for a competency evaluation.

The Crime

On November 27, 2015, Robert L. Dear Jr. went on a shooting spree in a Planned Parenthood center in Colorado Springs. Upon his arrest, Dear declared that the center was "the most evil place in the world" and he had only decided to surrender after "flipping a card." The suspect believed that the card was a message from God telling him to give up to the authorities.

Dear's shooting spree resulted in the death of three people while nine others were wounded. The suspect has been charged with 179 counts, which includes first-degree murder and attempted murder. Robert L. Dear Jr.'s case will be reviewed again in August 11.