FRESNO (KMJ) — Fresno County District Attorney’s office is now examining an evaluation of Kori Ali Muhammad’s mental health, to decide whether or not to agree with its findings.
The report presented inside Fresno County Superior Court Thursday morning established that the alleged Downtown Fresno shooting suspect is not competent to stand trial. It comes after the hearing in May was delayed while that information was compiled (click here to read more).
“Both the defense and my office got a copy of the report. The doctor, in his opinion [says] that Muhammad is not competent to stand trial,” explains Assistant DA Steve Wright.
The next hearing has been set for July 7th.
“To give my office the opportunity to come back, read the report in depth, digest it, and see whether or not we want to contest the doctor’s finding.”
Wright adds that if the District Attorney’s office feels Muhammad is in fact able to stand trial, that will establish a separate jury trial on his competency.
“If on the 7th my office decides that we want to have a trial on his competency a date would be set and we would do a trial, kind a pre-trial as it were, of the charges.
“The jury would be coming in and asked only to decide whether or not he’s competent at this time to stand trial.”
If Muhammad is found incompetent , he would then be sent a state hospital until he was considered fit to do so.
The suspect is facing four murder charges, among a series of other accusations said to be committed on both Thursday April 13th and Tuesday April 18th.
He could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
