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UCCS shooting suspect found incompetent to proceed; here are the next steps

Judge denies 2 defense motions in UCCS double homicide case

The man accused of killing two people at a University of Colorado Colorado Springs dorm room has been found incompetent, an El Paso County judge announced Friday.

Nicholas Jordan, 25, is accused of  shooting and killing Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, of Pueblo, and Samuel Knopp, 24, of Parker, in the early morning hours of Feb. 16.

Jordan and Knopp were roommates and students at UCCS, according to previous reporting from The Gazette. Jordan’s arrest affidavit states that Jordan had made a death threat against Knopp over taking out the trash, and that campus security and housing had recorded multiple complaints about Jordan prior to the shooting.

At Jordan’s previous court appearance his attorney, Nick Rogers, requested for a competency evaluation to be conducted on his client, stalling the case indefinitely.

At Jordan’s review hearing on Friday Judge David Shakes announced that the forensic psychologist at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo (CMHIP) who conducted Jordan’s competency evaluation found him incompetent to proceed.

Jordan’s incompetent status means that his homicide case could be on hold indefinitely until he is restored to competency through mental health services.

Prosecutor Andrew Vaughan filed a motion to request a second competency evaluation to be conducted on Jordan by an independent psychologist hired by the District Attorney’s Office.

Rogers objected to prosecutors hiring an independent psychologist and requested for the court to appoint the state hospital again for the second evaluation. Judge Shakes denied this request, stating that there would be a clear conflict of interest to allow the same agency to conduct both evaluations.

If the two evaluators come to conflicting conclusions regarding Jordan’s competency a hearing could be scheduled where Shakes will hear from both psychologists and make a final determination on competency.

Jordan will return to court on May 31 for a second review hearing to discuss the findings of the second competency evaluation.

Judge Shakes also rejected a motion from the defense to allow Jordan to appear in civilian clothes in future proceedings, citing safety concerns with the process of getting a defendant in civilian clothes.

Additonally, Jordan faces a second criminal case where he is accused of assaulting an El Paso County sheriff’s deputy in the jail.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Gazette Jordan faces assault charges for allegedly punching a deputy in the El Paso County jail last week after the deputy refused to give him cleaning supplies to clean his cell.

The assault case also remains on hold until the issues with Jordan’s competency are resolved.

Jordan remains in custody at the El Paso County jail on a $5 million bond for the double homicide case, and a $10,000 bond on the assault case.

Nicholas Jordan speaks with his counsel during his first appearance in February 2024 in 4th Judicial District Court in Colorado Springs. (Parker Seibold, the Gazette file)
Nicholas Jordan speaks with his counsel during his first appearance in February 2024 in 4th Judicial District Court in Colorado Springs. (Parker Seibold, the Gazette file)
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