Accused Fresno rampage killer is competent to stand trial, judge rules
By Pablo Lopez | Fresno Bee | January 22, 2018Accused Fresno rampage killer Kori Ali Muhammad, who has a documented history of schizophrenia and believes he is 66 trillion years old, can control the weather, and that UFOs are real, is competent to stand trial in connection with a crime spree that left four people dead last April, a Superior Court judge ruled on Monday.
In making his ruling, Judge Jonathan Conklin found that Muhammad, 39, of Fresno, understands the criminal proceedings in Fresno County Superior Court and is able to assist his attorney, Richard Beshwate Jr., in building a defense to the charges.
The ruling came as a surprise to Beshwate, who argued Monday that two court-appointed doctors had found Muhammad legally incompetent to stand trial because he is schizophrenic and suffers from delusions or psychosis. A doctor hired by the prosecution found Muhammad competent to stand trial.
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Hutchins argued that Muhammad was “playing up his symptoms” in order “to manipulate the system.”
In talking with the three doctors, Muhammad was alert, made eye contact, and was able to give them a history of his mental illness, Hutchins told Conklin.
Muhammad didn’t get to hear all of Hutchin’s argument; Conklin kicked him out of the courtroom when he made an outburst, one of several he made during his competency hearing. Conklin allowed Muhammad to return to the courtroom for Beshwate’s arguments after he promised to keep quiet.
After announcing the ruling, Conklin reinstated criminal charges that had been suspended since Muhammad’s arrest last April. Conklin accepted Muhammad’s not-guilty plea to murder and attempted murder charges and scheduled a status hearing on Friday to determine whether both sides can proceed with a preliminary hearing on Feb. 1. The preliminary hearing will determine whether there’s enough evidence to order Muhammad to stand trial.
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