The suspect in the Saturday shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and many others, which left six dead, appeared in court today. Jared Lee Loughner, 20, was held without bail and apparently smirked in court. His mugshot was also released, and it showed the young man with a big smile.
Giffords was apparently the target of the shooting outside a Safeway in Tucson, AZ, where she was holding a constituent event. Among of those who died were federal judge John Roll and Giffords' aide Gabe Zimmerman, and one of the many federal charges Loughner faces includes two charges for the murder of a government employee. All the federal judges in the southern district of the state recused themselves from the case because Roll was one of the victims.Loughner's public defender Judy Clarke asked that all federal judges in Arizona be recused, "There is great concern with proceeding any further than today with Arizona judges."
State prosecutors say they will also charge Loughner, whose exact motivations have not been uncovered but many of the portraits about him suggest he was extremely troubled. The Daily News has photographs of a shrine in his yard: "Hidden within a camouflage tent behind Jared Lee Loughner's home sits an alarming altar with a skull sitting atop a pot filled with shriveled oranges. A row of ceremonial candles and a bag of potting soil lay nearby, photos reveal. Experts on Sunday said the elements are featured in the ceremonies of a number of occult groups."
