Attorneys representing Pagourtzis have accused Jeth Jones, the judge who has been handling the case since January, of bias and claim he is determined to find experts who will conclude their client is competent to stand trial.
"We are not here just because I don't like Judge Jones' rulings. We are here because his actions and rulings show a bias toward my client," said Nicholas Poehl, one of Pagourtzis' attorneys. His lawyers are also asking that Jones be disqualified because they allege that Jared Robinson, his former partner in a law firm, briefly represented Pagourtzis when he was first arrested. They argue that under state law, Jones would be disqualified from the case because he had a legal connection to Pagourtzis by way of his law firm partner.
Roady also said the claims Jones should be disqualified because of prior legal ties to Pagourtzis have no merit. He said while Jones' former law partner did meet with Pagourtzis on the day of the shooting, he was never hired and declined to take on the case. But Pagourtzis' attorney Robert Barfield testified during Thursday's hearing that Jones' law partner was briefly part of the accused shooter's legal team and gave him legal advice that would be considered confidential and would have established an attorney-client relationship.