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Robert Dear once again deemed incompetent to stand trial

Robert Dear ruled incompetent to stand trial
Posted at 8:47 AM, Aug 05, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-05 20:19:22-04

COLORADO SPRINGS — The confessed gunman in the Planned Parenthood shooting was once again ruled incompetent to stand trial during a hearing Monday morning. Dear was not present at the hearing as he continues to undergo treatment at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo.

His next review is scheduled for November, as part of the protocol to review his mental state every 90 days. Last fall, the court heard from two psychologists who testified Dear has a delusion disorder. They said it keeps him from trusting almost anyone.

In early 2017, an appellate court ruled that staff can administer antipsychotic medicine to Dear. The court ruled that “the forced administration of antipsychotic medications to Dear is not an unconstitutional deprivation of his liberty.”

The court’s ruling upheld a district court’s decision which said the medications that Dear had refused were “medically appropriate” and involuntary medication was “necessary to further the government interests.” The Colorado Supreme Court refused to hear the case.