Jared Lee Loughner wants to appear at a court hearing on Sept. 28, despite his lawyer’s objections. Loughner, who has been held at a prison facility in Springfield, Mo. Since May 27, is accused of the Jan. 8 shooting spree that left 6 dead and 13 wounded, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. His lawyer says that making the journey from the prison to Tucson would be disruptive. U.S. District Judge Larry Burns ultimately agreed with other prosecutors that he must attend the hearing, though Loughner’s lawyer called it “an unnecessary risk,” adding that nothing in the law requires him to be there. The 23-year-old is on suicide watch and has been forcibly medicated with psychotropic drugs after it was decided he posed a danger at prison.
