FILE – In this Feb. 25, 2019, file photo Dimitrios Pagourtzis, the former Santa Fe High School teenage student accused of killing 10 people in a May 2018 shooting at the high school, is escorted by Galveston County Sheriff’s Office deputies into the jury assembly room for a change of venue hearing at the Galveston County Courthouse in Galveston, Texas. Pagourtzis remains in a mental health facility, deemed incompetent so far to stand trial on capital murder charges.
Jennifer Reynolds, POOL / Associated Press
The man accused of killing 10 people in the 2018 mass shooting at Santa Fe High School will remain committed to a state mental health facility after a yearly evaluation deemed him still unfit to stand trial, according to the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office.
Judge Jeth Jones of the 122nd District Court on Wednesday was finalizing an order to keep Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 22, committed for up to a year at the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon based on the mental health evaluations of two doctors, Kevin Petroff, first assistant district attorney, said.
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A court ruling stipulates that Pagourtzis must be evaluated at least every year to determine whether he’s regained competency to stand trial, Petroff said.
Pagourtzis is facing charges of capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault against a public servant in connection with the mass shooting, according to court records. He has been committed to the state hospital since November 2019.
Pagourtzis is charged in the shooting rampage that killed eight students and two teachers and injured 13 on May 18, 2018. A junior at the high school at the time, Pagourtzis admitted to being the mass shooter after his arrest, according to court documents.
Mental health experts will evaluate Pagourtzis again in 12 months unless something happens sooner that causes hospital staff to believe his mental health status has changed, Petroff said.
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Pagourtzis was originally evaluated independently by three psychiatric experts in October 2019, with one each selected by the defense, prosecution, and retired Judge John Ellisor, the judge presiding over the case at the time. All three agreed that he was not fit to stand trial.
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