Colorado Politics

Judge to reconsider Planned Parenthood clinic shooter’s competency 

A judge is set to reconsider whether a man who acknowledges killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic is competent to continue his court case.

Judge Gilbert Martinez on Thursday will review whether Robert Dear’s mental health has improved to the point where he can assist in his defense.

Dear has been undergoing treatment at the state mental hospital since Martinez deemed him incompetent in May.

He is charged with 179 counts, including murder and attempted murder, stemming from the Nov. 27 shooting at the Colorado Springs clinic that also left nine injured.

He was deemed incompetent after two psychologists testified he has a delusion disorder, which they said keeps him from trusting almost anyone.

Dear told investigators he attacked the clinic because of his anti-abortion stance.

In this Dec. 9, 2015, file photo, Robert Lewis Dear, middle, talks during a court appearance in Colorado Springs. The man, who acknowledges killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic, was in court for a discussion of his mental health Thursday, April 28, 2016. The hearing focused on whether 57-year-old Dear is competent to continue with his criminal case. 
Andy Cross/The Denver Post via AP, Pool, File

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