COLORADO SPRINGS — On Friday, November 22, Nicholas Jordan entered a not-guilty plea to the alleged murder of two people at UCCS. He also entered a not-guilty plea to the assault of an officer while in custody.
When Jordan and his representation entered the courtroom, Judge David Shakes addressed both motions to change the venue of the hearings as well as a motion to remove Shakes as the judge on this case.
At this time, Shakes will remain the judge on the case, and a hearing for the motion to change the location of the hearings will happen on January 31, 2025.
Jordan's representation attempted to delay the plea entry to a further date, but the request was denied by the judge after determining that Jordan's team had had enough time to determine a plea entry.
Jordan entered a not-guilty plea to both the alleged murder of two people in February, as well as the assault of an officer while in custody.
While his defense argued that the plea was preemptive, the judge will allow a change of plea from "not guilty" to "not guilty for reason of insanity" by the deadline of January 31, 2025, if the defense obtains the information they need to plead insanity.
The trial for the murder allegations will begin on April 7, 2025, and is set to last for two weeks. A separate trial will begin on April 21, 2025, for the assault of an officer while in custody.
This case began in late February after Jordan was taken into custody after the bodies of two people were found in his shared dorm on the UCCS campus.
A preliminary hearing occurred on September 9, 2024.
The first arraignment hearing happened on Friday, October 25, 2024, when it was delayed until today, Friday, November 22.
Background:
Jordan was originally arrested on Monday, February 19, three days after he allegedly shot and killed one of his roommates, and another woman, inside their shared dorm.
Victims Samuel Knopp, 24, and Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, were found dead in February, by UCCS Campus Police.
After his arrest, Jordan's defense attorneys made a motion to request a mental competency evaluation, arguing that Jordan was unable to assist in his defense.
In April, Jordan was found incompetent to stand trial after a psychologist with the State Mental Health Hospital conducted an evaluation. After a second evaluation in May, Jordan was declared competent to stand trial.
Jordan and his defense team requested to have an additional arraignment in November to enter his plea. His defense argues that they have not been able to determine Jordan's competency, despite two separate evaluations earlier this year.
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