AUSTIN (KXAN) — Shane James, the suspect charged with multiple counts of capital murder in a 2023 Central Texas shooting spree – was transferred to a state hospital for competency restoration in early April, according to his attorney Russell Hunt.
Central Texas shooting spree suspect found mentally incompetentFor roughly five months, James, 36, has waited in jail after being found incompetent to stand trial – meaning the court ruled he was too mentally incapacitated to understand or participate in his own defense. Since that decision, his case has been paused. A standard procedure in this circumstance is to send the suspect to a state hospital for mental health treatment to bring them back to competency so their case can proceed.
James is accused of shooting and killing six people and injuring more in a rampage than spanned from his parents’ home in Bexar County into Travis County.
James’ months-long wait to be transferred to a state hospital highlights a longstanding problem in Texas’ criminal justice system. The state’s mental hospitals have been backlogged for years, causing people to be placed on a waitlist.
In recent years, the waitlist and wait times have decreased substantially from all-time highs in the fall and winter of 2022. You can see in the chart below how the waitlist has fluctuated since 2018.
Though the waitlist was a problem long before the pandemic, state officials said COVID exacerbated it by increasing staffing vacancies and causing beds to be taken offline. Since the pandemic, state officials made a hiring push – including bonuses and raises for state hospital workers.
Justice delayed
KXAN has investigated and covered the state hospital waitlist for years. At its root, experts say, the waitlist delays justice. Though James has gained entry to state hospital, it isn’t clear when he may be considered competent, or when his case will proceed. Meanwhile, victims of the shooting spree and their families remain in limbo awaiting closure.
Explore KXAN's coverage of Texas' state mental hospital backlogThe waitlist also affects individuals accused of comparatively minor crimes who can be stuck in jail waiting for a state hospital spot for months.
A recent state audit found 168 individuals on the waitlist were “timed out” since 2018. That means they waited in jail for a state hospital bed so long they reached the length of the maximum possible sentence for the crime they were charged. At that point, state law required them to be released, even though they were not convicted or treated for mental illness, auditors found.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Austin shooting spree suspect transferred to state hospital, attorney says )
Also on site :