Loughner in court, pleads not guilty

PHOENIX – His hands and feet shackled, Jared Lee Loughner on Monday shuffled into the special proceedings courtroom in the federal courthouse here to answer charges that he tried to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords during a shooting spree that killed six.

He was beaming.

Loughner, 22, continued to flash an uncanny grin throughout the otherwise routine nine-minute arraignment. He sat down and leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. He glanced at the domed room, normally used for naturalization ceremonies or other special events, and his smile got even broader. His defense attorney, Judy Clarke, whispered something to him. Loughner chortled.

Clarke asked U.S. District Court Judge Larry Burns to enter a plea for her client. Burns recorded Loughner as pleading not guilty. Loughner stared straight ahead and kept smiling.

A grand jury has indicted Loughner for attempting to kill Giffords, D-Ariz., and two of her aides on Jan. 8 at a Tucson shopping center. More charges are expected for the killing of one of Giffords’ staffers, Gabe Zimmerman, and the presiding judge of the federal courthouse in Tucson, John Roll. Those charges could make Loughner eligible for the death penalty.

Monday’s hearing was Loughner’s second court appearance since the attack. In a mug shot released during his prior appearance, he sported a shaved head and deep smile. Some of his hair has grown back since then. On Monday he wore glasses, an orange jumpsuit and canvas sneakers.

Legal observers expect the case to ultimately pivot on an insanity defense, because numerous witnesses say they saw Loughner fire on Giffords.

Burns asked Clarke if her client’s state of mind enabled him to understand the charges and her job representing him. “We are not raising that issue at this time,” said Clarke, a veteran defense attorney.