by Jacques Billeaud, AP
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - The man who pleaded
guilty in the Arizona shooting rampage will be sentenced Thursday for
the attack that left six people dead and wounded former U.S. Rep.
Gabrielle Giffords and 12 others.
The sentencing hearing will mark
the first time that victims will confront Jared Lee Loughner in court
about the January 2011 shooting at a Giffords political event outside a
grocery store in Tucson, Ariz.
Prosecutors say an unspecified
number of victims will comment before U.S. District Judge Larry Burns
sentences Loughner, though it's unknown whether Giffords or her husband
plan to attend or have a statement read on their behalf. Three shooting
victims have told The Associated Press that they intend to comment at
the hearing.
The 24-year-old had pleaded guilty three months ago
to 19 federal charges under an agreement that guarantees he will spend
the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. The
deal calls for the dismissal of 30 other charges and a sentence of seven
consecutive life terms, followed by 140 years in prison.
Both
sides reached the deal after a judge declared that Loughner was able to
understand the charges against him. After the shooting, he was diagnosed
with schizophrenia and underwent forcible psychotropic drug treatments.
Some
victims, including Giffords, welcomed the deal as a way to move on. It
spared victims and their families from having to go through a
potentially lengthy and traumatic trial and locks up the defendant for
life.
Ron Barber, a former Giffords staffer who was shot in the
cheek and thigh during the attack and later won election to her seat
when Giffords stepped down, plans to make a statement, said his
spokesman, Mark Kimble.
Suzi Hileman, who was shot three times
while trying to save her 9-year-old neighbor, and Mavy Stoddard, whose
husband died shielding her from bullets, plan to address the court.
"He has to pay the consequences for what he did, and justice will be served," Hileman said.
Judy Clarke, Loughner's lead attorney, didn't return messages seeking comment.
Christina
Pietz, the court-appointed psychologist who treated Loughner, had
warned that although Loughner was competent to plead guilty, he remained
severely mentally ill and his condition could deteriorate under the
stress of a trial.
When Loughner first arrived at a Missouri
prison facility for treatment, he was convinced Giffords was dead, even
though he was shown a video of the shooting, but eventually realized she
was alive after he was forcibly medicated.
It's unknown whether
Pima County prosecutors, who have discretion on whether to seek the
death penalty against Loughner, will file state charges against him.
Stephanie Coronado, a spokeswoman for Pima County Attorney Barbara
LaWall, said Wednesday that no decision had been made.
It's
unclear where Loughner will be sent to serve his federal sentence. He
could return to a prison medical facility like the one in Springfield,
Mo., where he's been treated for more than a year. Or he could end up in
a prison such as the federal lockup in Florence, Colo., that houses
some of the country's most notorious criminals, including Oklahoma City
bombing conspirator Terry Nichols and "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski.
The exact placement will depend on the nature of his mental illness and its treatment.