William Kelly Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 There are nearly 4,000 internet news articles and reports on the assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and I heard many others on radio and TV, but found it curious that none of them mentions the name of her assailant, and when looking, found it even more curious that even the Wiki profile of Giffords fails to mention his name, and to get it you have to go to the 2011 Tucson shooting entry. Jared Lee Loughner was indeed a psychotic psychopath who did LSD and was found to be unfit for the Army. He purchased his weapon legally and ammo at a Walmart and was stopped by a cop for a traffic violation enroute to his crime spree. Giffords leads vigil on shooting... - Google News Gabrielle Giffords - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2011 Tucson shooting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jared Lee Loughner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jared Lee Loughner (/ˈlɒfnər/; born September 10, 1988)[1] is an American man who is charged with the shooting in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8, 2011, that killed six people, including Chief U.S. District Court JudgeJohn Roll. The shooting also left 14 others injured, including U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords.[2] He has been indicted on 49 counts by federal grand juries in Arizona.[3][4] Loughner is the only child of Randy and Amy Loughner.[5][6][7] They were described by a neighbor as a very private family.[5] While Loughner had friends in high school, neighbors noted that in the years following he would keep to himself and not respond to others.[8] [edit]Behavior change Loughner attended Mountain View High School, and dropped out in 2006.[6] Around this time, those who knew him noted a change in his personality. Kelsey Hawkes, who dated Loughner for several months in high school, would later say she could not believe it was him after hearing of his arrest. "I've always known him as the sweet, caring Jared", said Hawkes, 21, then a student at the University of Arizona.[9] At some point, Loughner was fired from his job at a Quiznos restaurant, with his manager saying he underwent a personality transformation. After this, Loughner briefly volunteered at a local animal shelter, walking dogs, but he was asked not to return. The shelter manager later said, "He was walking dogs in an area we didn't want dogs walked... He didn't understand or comprehend what the supervisor was trying to tell him. He was just resistant to that information."[10] According to court records, Loughner had had two previous offenses:[11] in October 2007, he was cited in Pima County for possession of drug paraphernalia (which was dismissed after he completed a diversion program);[citation needed] and on October 13, 2008, he was charged after defacing a street sign in Marana, near Tucson (also dismissed following the completion of a diversion program in March 2009).[10][12] [edit]Drug and alcohol use Zach Osler, a high school classmate of Loughner's, and his closest friend, indicated that Loughner's life began to unravel after his high school girlfriend broke up with him, and he then began to abuse alcohol and drugs, specifically Salvia divinorum (a natural hallucinogen illegal in many states).[13] Another longtime friend, Kylie Smith, added that he had used cannabis(marijuana), psychedelic mushrooms, and LSD around that same time.[14] Loughner quit using marijuana (as well as alcohol and tobacco) in late 2008 and has not used it since, according to one of his longtime friends.[15] The U.S. Army confirmed that Loughner had been rejected as "unqualified" for service in 2008.[16][17][18] According to military sources, Loughner admitted to marijuana use on numerous occasions during the application process.[6] [edit]Suspension from school From February to September 2010, while a student at Pima Community College, Loughner had five contacts with college police for classroom and library disruptions. On September 29, 2010, college police also discovered a YouTubevideo shot by Loughner, in which his spoken commentary stated that the college was illegal according to the United States Constitution. He described his school as "one of the biggest scams in America". The video led to Loughner being suspended from the school.[20] The college told Loughner that if he wanted to come back to school, he needed to resolve his code of conduct violations and obtain a mental health clearance (indicating, in the opinion of a mental health professional, that his presence did not constitute a danger to himself or others). On October 4, Loughner and his parents met with campus administrators and Loughner indicated he would withdraw from the college.[19] During Loughner's time at Pima, a teacher and a classmate both said they thought he might commit a school shooting.[21] Expressed views Records show that Loughner was registered as an independent voter and voted in 2006 and 2008, but not in 2010.[22][23] AYouTube channel under an account called "Classitup10" was linked to Loughner. (There have been numerous copies of 'imposter accounts' such as 'Classitup10, JaredLoughner and Classitup1O.)[24][25] One classmate stated that Loughner had laughed at a young woman and likened her to a terrorist after she read a poem about getting an abortion.[26][27][28] Classmates also recalled Loughner as having espoused atheistic and nihilistic views.[26][12][15] According to an old friend, Bryce Tierney, Loughner had exhibited a longstanding dislike for Gabrielle Giffords, a Blue DogDemocrat, stating that women should not hold positions of power.[29][30] He repeatedly derided Giffords as a "fake". This belief intensified after he attended her August 25, 2007 event when she did not, in his view, sufficiently answer his question: "What is government if words have no meaning?"[15] (Loughner kept Giffords' form letter, which thanked him for attending the 2007 event, in the same box as an envelope which was scrawled with phrases like "die bitch" and "assassination plans have been made".)[31] Zane Gutierrez, a friend, later told the New York Times that Loughner's anger would also "well up at the sight ofPresident George W. Bush, or in discussing what he considered to be the nefarious designs of government."[30] Loughner's best friend, Zach Osler, said, "He did not watch TV; he disliked the news; he didn't listen to political radio; he didn't take sides; he wasn't on the Left; he wasn't on the Right." Osler also noted that conspiracy theories had a profound effect on Loughner, particularly the online conspiracy theory film Zeitgeist: The Movie, with which friends claimed Loughner held an obsession.[28][32] He was a member of the conspiracy theory message board, "Above Top Secret," although members of the site did not respond warmly to his posts.[33][34][35] Loughner espoused 9/11 conspiracy theories;[30] a New World Order conspiracy theories; and beliefs in a 2012 apocalypse, among other controversial viewpoints. Reports appearing after the shooting noted similarities between the statements made by Loughner and the views of conspiracy theorist David Wynn Miller.[36][37][38] Loughner also became obsessed with controlling what he perceived to be lucid dreams.[13][39][40][41] Preparation Loughner allegedly purchased the 9mm Glock pistol used in the shooting from aSportsman's Warehouse in Tucson on November 30, 2010.[19] The night before the shooting, he left a message on a friend's voicemail saying, "Hey man, it's Jared. Me and you had good times. Peace out. Later."[15] In a MySpace post the morning of the shooting at 4:12 am, he wrote, Goodbye friends. Please don't be mad at me. The literacy rate is below 5%. I haven't talked to one person who is literate. I want to make it out alive. The longest war in the history of the United States. Goodbye. I'm saddened with the current currency and job employment. I had a bully at school. Thank you. P.S. --plead the fifth![42] Photos on the MySpace page showed a close-up picture of a handgun sitting atop a document titled "United States History."[19] [edit]Carrying out the attack On January 8, 2011, at 7:04 a.m. MST, Loughner went to a Walmart store in the Foothills Mall to purchase ammunition, but left that store and completed his purchase at a Walmart on North Cortaro Road at 7:28 a.m.[30][43] He was stopped by an Arizona Game and Fish Department officer at 7:34 a.m. for running a red light, but once the officer determined there were no outstanding warrants for Loughner, he was allowed to proceed to his destination with a warning to drive carefully.[13][30]Loughner then took a taxi to a Safeway supermarket location in Casas Adobes, where Rep.Giffords was holding a constituents meeting.[30][44] The shooting occurred at 10:10 a.m. MST.[45][46] Loughner allegedly opened fire on Giffords, as well as numerous bystanders,[45][46][47] killing six people. Thirteen other people were injured by gunfire, and one person was injured while fleeing the scene of the shooting.[48] Giffords, the apparent target of the attack,[49] was shot in the head and left in critical condition.[50] [edit]Aftermath and legal proceedings Loughner was subdued by bystanders and was arrested by police, saying, "I plead the Fifth," as he was taken into custody.[30] A photograph taken by the Pima County Sheriff's Office's forensic unit was released to the media on January 10, 2011[51] and published on front pages nationwide. The Washington Post described the picture as "smirking and creepy, with hollow eyes ablaze," while the art director for the New York Times stated it was placed on the front page because it "was the picture of the day [...] it was intense and arresting. It invited you to look and study, and wonder."[52] Charged and imprisoned Loughner was charged in federal court with one count of attemptedassassination of a member of Congress, two counts of murder of a federal employee (including Judge Roll), and two counts of attempting to murder a federal employee.[2][47] He was indicted on three of the charges on January 19, 2011.[53] Loughner was held without bail in the Federal Correctional Institution at Phoenix,[54] kept isolated from other inmates 23 hours a day and allowed out of his cell for just one hour a day to shower and exercise.[55] On February 24, 2011, he was transferred to the United States Penitentiary in Tucson.[56][57] Attorney Judy Clarke, a former federal public defender who in the past has represented suspects in several high profile murder and terrorism cases, was appointed to represent Loughner in federal court.[58] The entire federal judiciary of the state of Arizona recused themselves from hearing the case because of their ties to victim and fellow judge, John Roll.[59][60] At the direction of Ninth Circuit Appeals court Chief Judge Kozinski, the federal case will be heard by San Diego-based Judge Larry Alan Burns (from the Southern District of California).[61] Federal prosecutors have opposed motions to move the case outside of Arizona because of pre-trial publicity; that decision will be made by Chief Judge Roslyn O. Silver, who succeeded Roll in the federal district of Arizona.[55] Prosecutors representing Arizona, which has concurrent jurisdiction in the matter, have announced they intend to file murder and attempted murder charges on behalf of the other victims, those who were not members of Congress or federal employees (although they could legally file charges on behalf of all the victims). [62] Arizona law does not permit a verdict of "not guilty by reason of insanity", but does allow for a verdict of "guilty but insane."[63] Pleadings and additional charges On January 24, 2011, Loughner appeared at the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix, before Judge Burns from San Diego.[64] Loughner, whose hair had partially regrown since his arrest, smiled while presented with the charges related to the shooting, including the attempted killing of Giffords and two of her aides. Loughner's attorney, Judy Clarke, requested that Judge Burns select a plea on her client's behalf, to which a plea of not guilty was recorded. When Burns asked Clarke if Loughner understood the charges against him, she replied that they were "not raising that issue" at the time. She also did not object to a request by prosecutors to have future hearings moved back to Tucson.[65] On March 3, 2011, a federal grand jury indicted Loughner on additional charges of murder and attempted murder for a total of 49 counts.[4] On March 9, 2011, Loughner pleaded not guilty to all 49 charges.[66] Medico-legal issues On May 25, 2011, Judge Burns ruled Loughner was then incompetent to stand trial. Court proceedings were suspended while Loughner, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia,[67] undergoes psychiatric treatment at the psychiatric wing of the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. He was scheduled to appear in court on September 21, 2011, but that hearing was delayed until September 28, 2011, when the judge reviewed whether he could understand the charges against him and could assist in his own defense. (Loughner’s lawyers unsuccessfully objected to him appearing at the hearing.)[68] Loughner disrupted the court hearing with an outburst, and was carried from the court room. According to the New York Times, Loughner believes he succeeded in killing Giffords, and clashed with his lawyer when she informed him that the congresswoman had survived.[67] [edit]Forced medication rulings On June 26, 2011, Judge Burns ruled that prison doctors could forcibly medicate Loughner with antipsychotic drugs in order to make him fit to stand trial.[69][70] However, on July 12, 2011, a three-judge federal appeals panel from the Ninth Circuit ruled that Loughner could refuse anti-psychotic medication, since he "has not been convicted of a crime, is presumptively innocent and is therefore entitled to greater constitutional protections than a convicted inmate."[71][72][73][74] However, the ruling stated that it "does not preclude prison authorities from taking other measures to maintain the safety of prison personnel, other inmates and Loughner himself, including forced administration of tranquilizers"[71]. A week after the ruling, prison medical authorities resumed forcible treatment of Loughner with the antipsychotic risperidone, this time citing Harper and stating the purpose of treatment was the need to control the danger he posed to himself and others in prison, rather than rendering him fit for trial.[75][76]. Loughner's defence team submitted an emergency motion to the 9th Circuit Appeals Court claiming that this treatment was in violation of their ruling and seeking an immediate injunction to halt treatment.[75]. The request for an injunction was denied by the court, allowing treatment to continue pending a full hearing into the matter.[77] Arguments began in the 9th Circuit Appeals Court began on the 30th August as to the lawfulness of this treatment[78][79], and as of December 2011, arguments are ongoing, with Loughner continuing to be treated in the interim.[80] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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