Boulder shooting suspect scheduled for September preliminary hearing
The suspect accused of killing 10 people at a Boulder supermarket in March will next appear in court for a preliminary hearing and proof-evident presumption-great hearing on Sept. 7.
The case for Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 22, had a brief hearing Tuesday morning in Boulder County District Court to set the next date.
He is accused of killing 10 people on March 22 in King Soopers in south Boulder, including customers, employees and one Boulder police officer.
The charges also include counts for 15 civilian victims of attempted murder, 11 law enforcement officers listed as attempted murder victims, and a slew of other accompanying charges such as using a banned high-capacity magazine during the commission of a felony or crime of violence and use of a deadly weapon while committing the murders and attempted murders he is charged with.
For the first-degree murder charges, the suspect faces life in prison without parole if convicted.
“In order to present a full case to the jury, it’s important that we have all the charges listed so the jury is informed of what they’re being asked to consider, and also so the defense is on full notice as to what charges are being presented against their client and what evidence will be presented to support those charges,” said Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty in a brief news conference following Tuesday’s hearing.
Prosecutors filed dozens of the charges on Monday, including attempted first-degree murder charges for eight additional civilian victims. They bring the total counts faced by the suspect up to 115.
Dougherty has said the murder victims are listed in the charging documents in the order in which they were killed. Similarly, he said the attempted murder victims have been listed in the order in which prosecutors believe events of the shooting unfolded.
During the preliminary hearing, Judge Ingrid Bakke will decide if probable cause exists for the case to move forward.
A proof-evident presumption-great hearing is required when holding an accused person without bond.
Dougherty said Tuesday that he expects the Sept. 7 proceedings to last through the day.
When the suspect made his initial court appearance in March, his defense attorneys briefly referenced a need to assess his mental illness. But the role any mental illness will play in the case is not yet clear. Dougherty said Tuesday the topic of the supsect’s competency to stand trial has not been raised, and the suspect has not yet entered a plea.
Competency is an issue separate from insanity, which addresses a person’s ability to tell right from wrong when they committed an act. It is also possible for someone to be mentally ill but considered legally sane.







