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Judge tells PP suspect he can't speak in court

Posted at 4:55 PM, Feb 24, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-24 18:55:45-05

A mental competency hearing for a man who admitted to killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic has been continued until next month.

Officials said Wednesday the report was not ready and a new hearing was set for March 23.

In court, judge refused suspect Robert Dear's request speak on Wednesday.

At the end of the brief hearing, Dear told the judge that he wanted to say something.

"You cannot," Chief District Judge Gilbert Martinez told him.

"Oh," Dear said.

On the way out, he told reporters he had "secret case files" he wanted to share.

Prosecutors say his outbursts show an understanding of the case against him.

Martinez ordered the mental exam after 57-year-old Dear announced at a previous hearing that he wanted to fire his public defenders and represent himself. The exam will show whether he is mentally capable of making that decision.

Prosecutors charged Dear with 179 counts including murder, attempted murder and assault for the Nov. 27 shooting that also left nine injured.

Dear is accused of killing University of Colorado-Colorado Springs officer Garrett Swasey and two other people at the clinic.

One of the civilian victims was identified as Jennifer Markovsky, 36. Family members said Markovsky had accompanied a friend to the clinic.

The other victim was identified as Ke'Arre Stewart, an Army veteran who served in Iraq and the father of two children.

All 15 clinic employees survived.