A hearing is scheduled in San Diego today regarding whether to release records about a man accused of opening fire outside a grocery store in Tucson last month, killing six people and injuring 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head.
The motion hearing for 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner is believed to be the first in San Diego since the case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Larry Burns of the Southern District of California.
The company that publishes The Arizona Republic and KPNX-TV are asking Burns to release a new mug shot of Loughner, along with records showing which items investigators took in a search of the defendant's home following the Jan. 8 shooting. Loughner is not expected to be present in court.
At his last hearing in a federal courtroom in Phoenix, Loughner's attorney, Judy Clarke, told Burns that she didn't intend to raise any mental health issues with regard to her client's ability to understand the charges against him.
Loughner faces federal charges of trying to assassinate Giffords and attempting to murder two of her aides. The defendant is expected to face state charges in connection with the remaining victims, which included U.S. District Judge John Roll and a 9-year-old girl.
