Current:Home > MarketsTrial of man who killed 10 at Colorado supermarket turns to closing arguments -Infinite Edge Capital
Trial of man who killed 10 at Colorado supermarket turns to closing arguments
View
Date:2025-04-24 13:38:12
DENVER (AP) — Lawyers are set to deliver closing arguments Friday in the trial of a mentally ill man who fatally shot 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021.
Ahmad Alissa, who has schizophrenia, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the attack at the store in the college town of Boulder. His attorneys acknowledge he was the shooter but say he was legally insane at the time of the shooting.
Mental illness is not the same thing as insanity under the law. In Colorado, insanity is legally defined as having a mental disease so severe it is impossible for a person to tell the difference between right and wrong.
During two weeks of trial, the families of those killed saw graphic surveillance and police body camera video. Survivors testified about how they fled, helped others to safety and hid. An emergency room doctor crawled onto a shelf and hid among bags of chips. A pharmacist who took cover testified she heard Alissa say “This is fun” at least three times.
Several members of Alissa’s family, who immigrated to the United States from Syria, testified that starting a few years earlier he became withdrawn and spoke less. He later began acting paranoid and showed signs of hearing voices and his condition worsened after he got COVID-19 in late 2020, they said.
Alissa is charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder, multiple counts of attempted murder and other offenses, including having six high-capacity ammunition magazine devices banned in Colorado after previous mass shootings.
Alissa started shooting immediately after getting out of his car at the store on March 22, 2021, killing most of the victims in just over a minute. He killed a police officer who responded to the attack and then surrendered after another officer shot him in the leg.
Prosecutors said Alissa was equipped with an optic scope for his semi-automatic pistol, which resembled an AR-15 rifle, and steel-piercing bullets.
They accused him of trying to kill as many as possible, pursuing people who were running and trying to hide. That gave him an adrenaline rush and a sense of power, prosecutors argued, though they did not offer any motive for the attack.
State forensic psychologists who evaluated Alissa concluded he was sane during the shootings. The defense did not have to provide any evidence in the case and did not present any experts to say he was insane.
However, the defense pointed out that the psychologists did not have full confidence in their sanity finding. That was largely because Alissa did not provide them more information about what he was experiencing, even though it could have helped his case.
The experts also said they thought the voices he was hearing played some role in the attack and they did not believe it would have happened if Alissa were not mentally ill.
veryGood! (64)
Related
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- The Sephora Savings Event Is Finally Open to Everyone: Here Are Products I Only Buy When They’re on Sale
- People — and salmon — return to restored Klamath to celebrate removal of 4 dams
- Boeing strike ends as machinists accept contract offer with 38% pay increase
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Tropical Storm Rafael to become hurricane before landfall in Cuba. Is US at risk?
- The GOP expects to keep Kansas’ open House seat. Democratic Rep. Davids looks tough to beat
- Illinois Democrats look to defend congressional seats across the state
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Soccer Player José Hugo de la Cruz Meza Dead at 39 After Being Struck by Lightning During Televised Game
Ranking
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- GOP Rep. Andy Ogles faces a Tennessee reelection test as the FBI probes his campaign finances
- The Nissan Versa is the cheapest new car in America, and it just got more expensive
- California voters weigh measures on shoplifting, forced labor and minimum wage
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Rudy Giuliani ordered to appear in court after missing deadline to turn over assets
- Democratic mayors in San Francisco and Oakland fight to keep their jobs on Election Day
- McBride and Whalen’s US House race sets the stage for a potentially historic outcome
Recommendation
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
Sign of the times in front yard political wars: A campaign to make America laugh again
Sign of the times in front yard political wars: A campaign to make America laugh again
Casey and McCormick square off in Pennsylvania race that could determine Senate control
Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
Taylor Swift's Brother Austin Swift Stops Fan From Being Kicked Out of Eras Tour
California voters weigh measures on shoplifting, forced labor and minimum wage
RHOBH's Teddi Mellencamp Shares Emotional Divorce Update in First Podcast Since Edwin Arroyave Split