Robert Dear Jr., the alleged gunman in the 2015 Planned Parenthood shooting that left three dead and nine injured, is in the process of being committed civilly due to his mental health after being deemed incompetent despite forced medication.

Similar to the past several state hearings, Thursday’s hearing provided little new information. Instead, attorneys in Dear’s case updated the state court on the latest federal proceedings.

At Dear’s most recent federal hearing, it was revealed that forced medication has been unproductive. However, the prosecution did not move to dismiss the charges because defendants are often found to be unrestorable.

At the September hearing, a federal judge granted a joint motion requesting that Dear be civilly committed to a mental health facility. Evaluations in the Western District of Missouri are now in the process of being done to determine Dear’s final location for his civil commitment. The prosecution said Thursday the facility would likely be a Federal Bureau of Prisons location.

He remains at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners located in Springfield, Mo., on his criminal case as of Thursday, inmate records show.

Prosecutors don’t expect Dear will appear in court while the civil commitment is in process, and if he were to be committed, there would be yearly updates on his condition.

The placement process can take several months, the prosecution said during Thursday hearing that lasted about five minutes. Dear’s attorneys have requested an independent evaluation, which itself can take one to two months.

Ke’Arre Stewart, Jennifer Markovsky and University of Colorado Colorado Springs police Officer Garrett Swasey died in the Nov. 27, 2015, shooting. Nine other people — five of them law enforcement officers — were wounded during a five-hour standoff.

On the federal level, Dear faces 65 counts of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and three counts of use of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death, according to the late-2019 indictment. For his state case, he faces 179 charges, three of which are sentence enhancers. 

Dear’s next appearance in a 4th Judicial District courtroom is scheduled for Feb. 26 for another status conference. The federal case remains on hold, and no hearings are scheduled.