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)
August 07, 2012 - 10:04 AM
TUCSON, Ariz. - Lawyers for the suspect in the mass shooting that left a U.S. congresswoman wounded and six people dead will try to convince a judge that the man is mentally fit to enter a plea that could spare him the death penalty.
Experts had concluded that 23-year-old Jared Lee Loughner has schizophrenia. He has been forcibly medicated with psychotropic drugs for more than a year.
A court-appointed psychiatrist is expected to testify Tuesday that he is competent to enter a plea.
The agreement would remove the possibility of the death penalty, a person familiar with the case told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Gabrielle Giffords continues to recover from the January 2011 shooting. She has left her Congress post.
News from © The Associated Press, 2012