Another doctor appointed to examine confessed Fresno rampage killer Kori Ali Muhammad

A Superior Court judge on Tuesday appointed another doctor to examine confessed Fresno rampage killer Kori Ali Muhammad to determine whether he is legally competent to stand trial.

Judge W. Kent Hamlin appointed psychiatrist Howard Terrell in case there is a deadlock in whether Muhammad is competent to stand trial.

Court-appointed psychologist Dr. Richard Kendall has examined Muhammad and determined he is legally incompetent to stand trial. The District Attorney’s Office has hired forensic psychologist Reid Meloy to examine Muhammad, but he has not rendered an opinion.

On Tuesday, Hamlin ordered the reports by Terrell and Meloy to be completed by Aug. 17. Their findings are scheduled to be revealed on Aug. 22, when Muhammad will return to court. Until then, criminal proceedings will remain suspended against Muhammad, who is being held in the Fresno County Jail without bail.

A criminal complaint charges Muhammad, 39, with the murders of Mark Gassett, David Jackson and Zackary Randalls, and the attempted murders of Stephen Walter, Michael Flores and Mark Greer in a morning shooting spree near downtown Fresno on April 18. He also is charged with special circumstances that could make him eligible for the death penalty – committing multiple murders and selecting his victims based on race.

He also charged with murder in the April 13 shooting death of security guard Carl Allen Williams III at Motel 6 on Blackstone Avenue in Fresno.

After the killing spree, Police Chief Jerry Dyer said Muhammad confessed to killing all four victims and told detectives that he targeted the men because they were white.

His lawyer, Richard Beshwate Jr., said Muhammad has a documented history of schizophrenia.

Because criminal proceedings have been suspended since April 21, when Muhammad made his first appearance, he has not yet entered a plea to the charges.

This story was originally published July 18, 2017 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Another doctor appointed to examine confessed Fresno rampage killer Kori Ali Muhammad."