Judge rules alleged UCCS shooter competent to stand trial
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – In a Friday court hearing, a judge ruled Nicholas Jordan, the man accused of killing two in a University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) dorm room in February, is competent to stand trial.
Jordan was arrested days after his roommate, 24-year-old Samuel Knopp, and a woman, 26-year-old Celie Montgomery, were found fatally shot inside a dorm on campus on Feb. 16.
Over the last few months, multiple hearings have brought Jordan's mental competency into question. Mental competency takes into account whether the suspect is able to understand court proceedings and aid in their own defense, according to the Colorado Judicial Branch.
Jordan's defense initially requested a mental competency evaluation for the suspect in March, stating that he didn't have the ability to help them in his own defense. In April, Jordan was deemed incompetent to stand trial by state psychologists at Colorado’s Mental Health Hospital in Pueblo.
The prosecution then requested a second evaluation, which prosecutors revealed on Friday had found Jordan to be competent.
According to Dr. Patricia Westmoreland, a forensic psychiatrist hired by the prosecution, Jordan had disclosed to her that he exaggerated his symptoms in his first evaluation in order to avoid jail and be transferred to a state hospital instead.
But forensic evaluator Sarah Velsor, who performed the first competency test, defended finding him to be incompetent, testifying that Jordan suffers from bipolar or schizophrenic disorders. During cross-examination, she said she felt "very confident" that Jordan had not been exaggerating his symptoms during the evaluation.
In his decision, the judge said Jordan's admission to Westmoreland about exaggerating his symptoms, partnered with his seemingly improved mental health, was enough to deem him competent to proceed to trial.
Jordan will next be back in court for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 3 at 1:30 p.m., when a judge will determine if there's enough evidence to proceed to trial. He currently remains in custody at the El Paso County Jail.
