Jared Loughner, the man behind the January 8th Arizona shooting spree, is starting to show signs of mental improvement and stability. The other day, a federal judge ordered that Loughner would go through four more months of psychiatric treatment to see if he can recover enough to go to trial. In January, he had murdered six people and injured thirteen, including Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords.
According to the website Jezebel, Loughner was diagnosed with schizophrenia in May and seen as psychologically unfit to stand trial. Before, he had believed that he had killed Giffords, and he was always smirking in his court appearances. However, now his attitude has changed, and he has begun to feel regret for his actions. According to his psychologist Christina Pietz, "He understands he's murdered people ... He feels guilty." Furthermore, she said that in court, "his demeanor is distinctly different ... His smirk is gone. He appears to be paying attention."
According to Time, his recent court appearance on Wednesday was remarkably different than when he appeared in court last May; during that time, he had seemed oblivious to everything and had to be dragged out of the trial. At his latest hearing, he sat there emotionless and seemed to show signs of mental progress. Whether or not he will continue improving is still uncertain, but according to Pietz, he should be ready for trial in eight months. Since this was such a big story last January, I think that it is important to continue following Loughner's state and the trial. It will be interesting to see how this case unfolds in the upcoming months.
Yes, and it's interesting that if he's more "sane" then he is subject to punishment, perhaps by the death penalty. In contrast, if he isn't he could be in a psych ward for the rest of his life.
ReplyDelete