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| He does seem rather pleased with himself. |
Tuesday, December 20, 2016, 4:01 PM
"An Ithaca man accused of fatally shooting a UPS driver outside a Walmart claimed he shot and killed Donald Trump during a court appearance Monday.
Justin Barkley, 38, stood before Judge John Rowley and said he knew where President-elect Donald Trump would be on Dec 8. He then waited for him outside of a Walmart where he said he allegedly killed him, according to the Ithaca Voice.
"I shot and killed Donald Trump purposely, intentionally and very proudly," Barkley said during his arraignment.
Ithaca police and Barkley engaged in an eight-hour standoff on Dec. 8 where they arrested him for fatally shooting 52-year-old William Schumacher and for firing shots at officers.
Barkley was indicted for second-degree murder and menacing a police officer.
Barkley also told the court that he recognized the difference between mistaking a person for Trump and saying that he killed him. Asked whether any evidence could suggest that he killed a person that was not Trump, he answered, “I hope not.”
He tried to enter a guilty plea, but Judge Rowley denied it after he made the Trump allegations.
“The judge would not accept his plea of guilty and instead ordered him to a 730 examination — an order directing psychiatrists to determine whether the defendant is capable of standing trial,” Barkley's attorney, James Baker told the Daily News.
Evaluations could take place in the jail or he could be transferred to a hospital based on the psychiatrist’s recommendation, he said.
Baker expects the process could last until mid-February.
Asked why the judge ordered Barkley to undergo evaluations, Barkley said that he “felt uncomfortable taking his plea without having the examination done first.”
“If the judge decides to move forward, he would complete the arraignment and depending what the plea is, it might be resolved or it might go to trial,” he said."
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