TUCSON, Ariz., Aug 7 (Reuters) - A 23-year-old college
dropout accused of killing six people and wounding 13 others,
including then-U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, in a
Tucson shooting rampage last year was expected to plead guilty
on Tuesday if a judge finds him mentally competent, a person
familiar with the case said.
A federal judge has set a competency hearing for Jared
Loughner for 11 a.m. local time in U.S. District Court in
Tucson, to be followed by a change-of-plea hearing if he is
found fit to stand trial.
Giffords, an Arizona Democrat seen as a rising star in the
party, was holding one of her regular "Congress On Your Corner"
events at a Tucson supermarket in January 2011 when she was shot
through the head at close range. The six people killed in the
shooting include a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl.
A source close to the case has told Reuters that Loughner,
who is charged with 49 criminal counts including first-degree
murder, is prepared to change his plea to guilty. A not guilty
plea was entered on his behalf last year.
Few other details were available ahead of the hearing, but a
plea agreement could potentially spare Loughner from facing the
death penalty in the rampage.
The Los Angeles Times reported that psychiatric experts who
have examined Loughner were expected to testify that he now
understands the charges against him.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Phoenix has
said he could "neither confirm nor deny" the change of plea.
Attorneys representing Loughner have not responded to emailed
requests for comment.
Loughner was determined unfit to stand trial in May 2011
after he disrupted court proceedings and was dragged out of the
courtroom. Court appointed experts said he suffered from
schizophrenia, disordered thinking and delusions.
He has since been held at a U.S. Bureau of Prisons
psychiatric hospital in Springfield, Missouri, where he has been
forcibly medicated to treat psychosis and make him fit for
trial.
Tuesday's hearing was to be the fourth to determine if
Loughner is mentally competent.
U.S. District Judge Larry Burns originally set the hearing
in June at the request of prosecutors and defense attorneys who
wanted a status report after more than a year of treatment and
legal wrangling over his competency.
Burns previously extended Loughner's stay in the Federal
Medical Center facility, noting that "measurable progress" had
been made by those treating him.
In the early weeks of his treatment, prior to the regime of
forced medication, Loughner reportedly paced his cell and passed
nights without sleeping. However, clues to his current mental
state are few.
A psychologist's report on efforts to make him mentally fit
to stand trial was due to be submitted to the court in June, but
has not been made public.
Giffords, who suffered a gunshot wound to the head, resigned
from the U.S. House of Representatives in January to focus on
her recovery.
Her former aide, Ron Barber, who was also wounded in the
shooting spree, won a special election to fill her seat in June
and will face re-election in November to serve a full two-year
term in Congress.
(Reporting By Tim Gaynor; Editing by Dan Whitcomb, Cynthia
Johnston and Lisa Shumaker)