News

Expected Loughner plea deal not certain yet

By Bob Christie
Published August 6, 2012 4:00am ET
Add Washington Examiner on Google
Expected Loughner plea deal not certain yet
FILE - This photo released Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011, by the U.S. Marshal's Service shows Jared Lee Loughner, the suspect in the Tucson, Ariz., shooting rampage that killed six people and left several others wounded, including then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. The judge overseeing the mass shooting case has scheduled competency and change of plea hearings for Loughner for Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2012. The schedulinheg order confirms that a plea agreement has been reached in the case. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshal's Office, File) | AP

PHOENIX (AP) — Reaching a plea agreement for the suspect in the deadly Tucson, Ariz., mass shooting is just one step.

On Tuesday, defense attorneys and prosecutors will need to accomplish the next: persuade U.S. District Court Judge Larry A. Burns that Jared Lee Loughner, who has been forcibly medicated at a federal prison, is no longer mentally unfit for trial.

Print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account
Digital subscriber? Click here to login/register your account.

Trusted reporting.Unlimited access.

Subscribe for full access to Washington Examiner coverage, expert political analysis, and subscriber-only journalism.

Get Unlimited Access

Already a member? Log in

Cancel anytime.