Santa Fe HS Shooting: Attorneys Ask Judge to Dismiss

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas — The attorney for accused Santa Fe High School shooter Dimitrios Pagotzis filed a motion on Tuesday asking the judge to dismiss the case.

Editor’s Note: The video above is from the KHOU 11 coverage of the March 10 hearing.

Pagrutzis has been in a North Texas State Hospital (NTSH) since being declared incapable of standing trial for the shooting in 2019. In February, doctors at the hospital requested that Pagruzi be reappointed for another year so that he could regain his strength.

Lawyers say Chief Justice Jess Jones showed he was biased when he ordered an independent expert to re-evaluate Pagruzis’ mental state at an unexpected hearing on March 10. claimed. I don’t have time to arrange a video of what the client is doing.

In Tuesday’s court filing, attorneys asked NTSH employees to conduct a full competence assessment the first week of March, even though Jones had only conducted it a month earlier. He claims he told them he had contacted the hospital superintendent.

They said this communication with the superintendent was inappropriate and violated Texas Penal Code.

Lawyers said Texas Penal Code also requires a party requesting another evaluation before the 90 days are up to explain why they believe it is necessary. The defense argued that experts had determined there was no evidence that Pagruzi would “recover his abilities in the near future.”

Pagourtzis’ attorneys also argued that the court could provide no explanation as to why the court’s former expert was no longer appropriate.

If Jones did not deny himself, the attorney demanded that the matter be brought before a neutral administrative judge.

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