So How Crazy Too Crazy to Stand Trial For Mass Murder?

On Friday, a judge in Boulder made a ruling that has left many questioning the judicial system's definition of mental competency.

In a shocking decision, Judge Ingrid Bakke declared that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, the man accused of killing 10 people in a Boulder supermarket shooting rampage in 2021, mentally competent to stand trial. This decision comes after previous evaluations found Alissa to be incompetent due to his schizophrenia.

For anyone who has a basic understanding of schizophrenia, this ruling is baffling. If this schizophrenic is competent, then who isn't? The judge's ruling begs the question of what exactly qualifies as mental competency in the eyes of the law.

Alissa's defense attorney had requested a hearing to debate the findings of the state mental hospital, which deemed Alissa competent after months of forced medication. While the judge acknowledged that Alissa's mental condition improved after the medication, it is important to note that it does not mean he has been cured of his schizophrenia. Mental competency and being cured of a mental illness are two separate things.

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa appears in a Boulder County District courtroom at the Boulder County Justice Center on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.

The shooting rampage that occurred in Boulder on March 22, 2021, left a community in shock and claimed the lives of 10 innocent people. The details of the shooting are harrowing, with employees and customers scrambling to escape the violence as Alissa allegedly fired both outside and inside the grocery store.

The judge's ruling also highlights the important distinction between mental competency and pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. While Alissa's mental health may have been a factor in his actions, it does not necessarily mean that he did not understand right from wrong at the time of the shooting. It will be up to the prosecution to prove that Alissa knew his actions were wrong and acted with intent when he opened fire in the supermarket.

The question remains, if a man with schizophrenia who committed such a horrendous crime is deemed competent to stand trial, then who else fits that definition?