Planned Parenthood shooting suspect deemed mentally incompetent after a decade

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -  A federal judge ruled that Robert Dear, the self-proclaimed shooter, is still mentally incompetent to stand trial for three murders, despite being forced this year to start taking anti-psychotic medications.

Now, seven months after the courts ordered treatment, his mental state has shown little improvement.

From the earliest days of his court proceedings, Dear was prone to outbursts in court and did not seem to understand the legal discussions taking place around him. He has also fought hard to avoid being forcibly medicated, a battle he finally lost in February of this year.

Fast forward to Wednesday morning, when, according to the Denver Post, U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn once again ruled Dear to be incompetent.

This time, adding that additional treatment may not help.

KRDO13 spoke to a criminal defense attorney who says Robert Dear may never be able to aid attorneys in his criminal defense.

"In the Colorado state courts, they will likely try and continue to restore him to competency or, what they would do on a case like this, where it's a murder case, they'll try and commit him civilly, and that can go on for the rest of his life," says Jeremy Loew, criminal defense attorney.

As of right now, federal prosecutors have not dropped their case and have asked for Dear's treatments to continue at a facility in Missouri, as they plan their next moves.

If they do dismiss charges, our experts advise that the state may still proceed with its own charges. In which case, Dear would be brought back to Colorado and housed at the state hospital in Pueblo.

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