Amid U.S. District Court Hearing, Robert Dear Says He's Competent To Stand Trial
DENVER (CBS4) - The man accused of a deadly attack on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs once again disrupted court proceedings with several outbursts. This time it was U.S. District Court in Denver where Robert Dear is now charged separately from state court in which his case has stalled because he has not been determined to be competent to stand trial.
Dear tried to get Magistrate Judge Kristen Mix's attention.
"Your Honor", Dear interrupted.
"Just a minute, just a minute Mr. Dear," Mix said. "Just a minute. Let me hear from the lawyer then I will let you talk."
When he finally got his chance, Dear complained he is getting car sick during transport to and from court.
"You are refusing to uphold the constitution, the 8th Amendment which I just proved is cruel and unusual punishment," he told the magistrate.
Dear was advised he faces 68 charges related to the November 2015 attack on a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Colorado Springs. Three people died including a police officer.
Now Dear was told he could face the death penalty.
He has been repeatedly found not competent to stand trial on the state charges, now such an evaluation is once again the issue, but in federal court.
Dear told the magistrate, "I've begged them at the nuthouse for four years to have it video taped to have a tape recorder of these evaluations."
Dear has been held most of the past four years at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo where the evaluations have taken place.
Speaking of the person performing the evaluations, Dear says they "makes up a bunch of lies. We have nothing, the patient can say anything, and we can't back it up because our evaluator lies, and we don't have a video tape to prove our side."
He claims he is competent to stand trial. He has indicated in the past that he would plead guilty. Among those in court were some identified as victims in the case.
The magistrate ordered the attorneys on both sides to submit written arguments on the prosecution's request that Dear be given a new competency evaluation.
