Colorado Springs judge finds suspect in University of Colorado dorm murders incompetent to stand trial

COLORADO SPRINGS (CN) — A Colorado judge on Friday determined that a former student at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs is incompetent to stand trial after he was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of killing two other students.

Nicholas Jordan, 25, was arrested in February after his former dormmate Samuel Knopp, 24, was found shot and killed along with 26-year-old Celie Rain Montgomery.

Jordan lived in the same dorm pod as Knopp. According to an arrest affidavit, Jordan had recently left following clashes over cleanliness and Jordan smoking inside. Investigators found Jordan’s room empty and concluded that all of his possessions, including a handgun and an AK-47 assault rifle, were in his 2009 Ford Escape.

According to that affidavit, police found Jordan’s keycard had been used to access the dorm twice on the morning of Feb. 16 — the day of the murders. Investigators also obtained footage from a surveillance camera showing a person in dark clothing entering the building at the time the keycard was scanned.

Fourth Judicial District Judge David Shakes granted prosecutors' request for a second competency evaluation, which will be conducted by a doctor requested by Chief Deputy District Attorney Andrew Vaughan. Vaughan also said he plans to request a competency hearing following the results of the second evaluation.

A defendant is considered mentally incompetent if they are incapable of understanding the charges against them well enough to aid in their own defense. Defendants undergoing competency restoration are housed at the state mental hospital in Pueblo, where they can be force-medicated under court order.

Although the court did not specify whether Jordan suffers from mental illness, common drivers of incompetency include schizophrenia, schizotypal personality and delusional disorders.

Following an incident in which jail staff say Jordan attacked a guard, Shakes denied a request to allow him to appear for pretrial proceedings in plain clothes, citing enhanced security concerns.

Jordan will return to court at the end of May. He is being represented by the state public defender's office.

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