HOUSTON (AP) — A Greek-American student accused of fatally shooting 10 people at a Texas high school in 2018 will spend up to another 12 months at a state mental health facility as doctors say he remains incompetent to stand trial, his attorney said Tuesday.
Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 20, has been receiving mental health treatment at the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon since early December 2019.
He was initially committed for 120 days. But doctors in March 2020 determined he was still incompetent and he was ordered to stay another 12 months, said Nick Poehl, one of Pagourtzis’ attorneys.
“We’re nearing the expiration of that and so that’s why the hospital sent us a report indicating he still is not restored to competency. So, we just reupped for up to another 12 months,” Poehl said.
An order continuing Pagourtzis’ hospitalization was signed by Judge John Ellisor on Tuesday.
Poehl said he could not discuss specific details of Pagourtzis’ treatment due to privacy issues. But he said his client’s treatment has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“In terms of the normal resources and tools that the hospital can bring to bear for the last year or thereabouts, some of that has been curtailed. That just doesn’t affect him but affects every patient there,” Poehl said. “The hope is as we head back toward normal, some of that will improve.”
The issue of Pagourtzis’ competency relates to his current state of mind and not his state of mind at the time of the shooting, Poehl has said.
“The Galveston County Criminal District Attorney remains committed to prosecuting the defendant to the fullest extent of the law once he is found competent to stand trial,” Assistant Criminal District Attorney Brent Haynes said in an email.
Pagourtzis is charged with capital murder for the May 18, 2018, attack at Santa Fe High School, which is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Houston. Because he was 17 at the time of the attack, he is not eligible for the death penalty. His trial had been set to start in February 2020.
Pagourtzis also faces federal charges in a sealed criminal case.
___
JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press
DECEMBER 9TH: On this day in 1929, John Nicholas Cassavetes, a luminary in American cinema, was born in New York to Greek immigrant parents.
FALMOUTH, MA – The police in Falmouth have identified the victim in an accident involving a car plunging into the ocean on February 20, NBC10 Boston reported.
CASPAR BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A welding hammer strapped to her wrist, Joy Hollenback slipped on blue fins and swam into the churning, chilly Pacific surf one fall morning to do her part to save Northern California's vanishing kelp forests.
NEW YORK - Embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams - a former police officer in his first term - has found himself between a rock and Turkish Taffy with an investigation into his campaign fundraising and ties to Turkish influences.
ATHENS - Greece is grappling with a dilemma over its biggest revenue engine, tourism: keep people coming year-round to bring in the euros but how to deal with so many overwhelming the infrastructure on popular islands.
NICOSIA - Police on Cyprus said they arrested two people for “national security” reasons after media reports that two Iranians were suspected of planning attacks on Israelis who fled to the island during Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
ATHENS - A sudden revival in world interest in the stolen Parthenon Marbles housed in the British Museum for more than 200 years has now seen the Hellenic Caucus in the US Congress join in the battle.
Explore articles from the past and connect to your heritage!
Discover the benefits of a subscription including access to exclusive content, events, and more!
Have an idea for a story, or know of an event we should cover? We want to hear about it!
The National Herald is the paper of record of the Greek Diaspora community. Through independent journalism, we bring news to generations of Greek-Americans, with stories on the individual, community and international level. Visit and support our 106 year-old sister publication Εθνικός Κήρυξ.
To purchase a gift subscription, please log out of your account, and purchase the subscription with a new email ID.
Sign up to receive our daily email news briefing.
Sign up for a subscription to The National Herald,
starting as low as $1/week.
and receive more access to The National Herald
View our Terms of Service + Privacy Policy.
and receive more access to The National Herald
View our Terms of Service + Privacy Policy.
We use cookies on our site to personalize your experience, bring you the most relevant content, show you the most useful ads, and to help report any issues with our site. You can update your preferences at any time by visiting preferences. By selecting Accept, you consent to our use of cookies. To learn more about how your data is used, visit our cookie policy.
$1.08 USD
