The lawyer for Joseph Cho, the former Penn Law student facing charges of attempted murder, has requested that Cho undergo another psychiatric evaluation to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
Cho was scheduled to have a preliminary hearing yesterday, but it was postponed after Peter Bowers, Cho's attorney, asked for the mental-health evaluation, according to Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Melissa Francis.
Cho allegedly fired 15 shots into the door of his downstairs neighbors on Jan. 31, 2007. He then spent nearly a year receiving state-facilitated psychiatric treatment, which delayed legal proceedings.
On Jan. 16, Cho was deemed mentally competent to stand trial.
Since then, three preliminary hearings - in which a judge would have determined if there was enough evidence to send the case to trial - have been postponed at the request of the defense.
"The Commonwealth was ready to proceed," Francis wrote in an e-mail, "but the defense attorney called Monday to let me know he would be making this request" for further psychiatric evaluation.
A hearing is now set for April 15.
Cho, a former member of the U.S. military, allegedly sought to kill his neighbors - two male Drexel University students - because he thought they were spies based on the facts that they were Indian and biomedical engineering students.
Cho faces charges of attempted murder, ethnic intimidation and other related offenses.
Bowers did not return calls for comment.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.