The man accused of wounding Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and murdering six people in a January shooting spree feels remorse for his actions, a psychologist testified in a Tucson court today.
Jared Lee Loughner, 23, “understands he’s murdered people” and talks about “how remorseful he is,” said Dr. Christina Pietz, a government psychologist who has been treating Loughner in Missouri, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Loughner, who in the past believed Giffords had died in the shooting, now understands that she is alive, added Pietz, a prosecution witness.
Loughner has been forcibly medicated for nine weeks and is on suicide watch after exhibiting strange behavior. A judge has declared him not competent to stand trial.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys are at odds about whether he can be forcibly medicated, with the government asking that he be medicated for an additional eight months so he can be restored to competency.
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
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