Court OKs Forcible Medication for Defendant
A man accused of killing two U.S. Capitol police officers in 1998 can be forcibly medicated to make him mentally competent to stand trial, a federal appeals court ruled.
Russell E. Weston Jr., who has a 20-year history of paranoid schizophrenia, is charged with murder in the deaths of Jacob J. Chestnut and John M. Gibson, who were shot and killed as they manned their posts inside the Capitol.
He also is charged with the attempted murder of officer Douglas B. McMillan and faces three weapon charges.
Weston has refused to take medication to treat his mental illness. His lawyers said that forcible medication would violate his 5th Amendment right to due process and his right to a fair trial.
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