FRESNO (KMJ) — Two court appointed doctors now report that the alleged Downtown Fresno shooter is incompetent to stand trial.
The results of the second assessment of Kori Ali Muhammad came Tuesday morning inside Fresno County Superior Court. The first report was presented to the court in June, the second was requested in July (click here to read more).
“We’re going to review these reports more thoroughly and make some decisions on the next stage of our preparation,” explains defense attorney Richard Beshwate.
But Fresno County District Attorney’s Office does not agree with the conclusion, maintaining that Muhammad is fit to stand trial.
“That’s going to be certainly something we’re going to look at. Determine whether I need to hire another expert or whether we’ll rely upon the opinions provided,” adds Beshwate.
The next court hearing is set for September 12th, which is when both sides are expected to have reached a decision on how to proceed.
“We could go to trial, a jury trial, on the issue of competence. It could be stipulated that he’s either found competent or incompetent based on those reports. I’m certainly at this point not going to agree that he’s competent so we’ll see what the District Attorney’s office wants to do.”
The charges faced by Kori Ali Muhammad include four counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, and two other felonies.
If found guilty he could face the death penalty.
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
