Colorado parents are urging state lawmakers to conduct efforts to either amend or repeal criminal competency laws following several cases where charges were dropped despite involving kidnapping or murder.
The group includes two women whose mother was killed in a hit-and-run crash, who joined others to call for a special legislative session. The cases that sparked the protests all involved defendants whom doctors ruled were incompetent to stand trial.
Colorado's Criminal Competency Laws
One of the cases involved a man who killed Britany Visage's mother in November 2024 in a hit-and-run incident that started in a McDonald's parking lot. She asked how laws regarding competency can allow an individual who said, "I knew I hit her. I knew I was dragging her. I knew it would kill her. I just had to get out of there," to walk free.
Visage's sister, Hanna Kerst, said that the loss of their mother was exacerbated by the lack of justice that they saw in court. She said that she was left with more questions than answers despite everything that transpired, according to 9News.
The issue that the group is talking about is a Colorado law that deals with criminal defendants who have been ruled incompetent to stand trial. This means that they cannot understand the legal proceedings or assist in their defense.
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State statutes require judges to dismiss criminal charges against individuals whose doctors rule are incompetent to stand trial. They must also conclude that even with treatment, there is no reasonable likelihood that this assessment would change.
One example of charges being dropped in a high-profile case was that of Solomon Galligan in Arapahoe County. The defendant was facing kidnapping and child abuse charges after being caught on camera lunging at elementary school children in Aurora during recess in April last year, CBS News reported.
Searching for Justice
Several advocates with CPAN, Safe2Tell, victims' families, and lawmakers expressed their concern about the situation. They gathered at the Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday to urge local residents to sign the online petition.
Executive director of CPAN, Lori Gimelshteyn, said, "Our communities are not safe," adding that it is important for the community to understand what is happening. On the other hand, mental health advocates say that safer communities are created by providing effective care to those with behavioral health disorders, including individuals in the criminal justice system.
Colorado Springs resident Susan Payne joined the Colorado Parents Advocacy Network to release a citizen's petition. It calls on district attorneys across the state to use whatever influence they have to lobby the legislature and call for a special session to re-examine it, as per MSN.
