Trial expected to focus on shooter’s competency in 2021 Colorado supermarket massacre

In the weeks after the March 2021 shooting, tributes covered the temporary fence around the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colo. Robert Olds, whose 25-year-old niece, Rikki Olds, was the manager Alissa fatally shot at close range near the store’s entrance, plans to sit in the front row throughout the trial. However, prosecutors point out Alissa had never been treated for mental illness and was able to work up to 60 hours a week leading up to the shooting, something they say would not have been possible for someone severely mentally ill. Alissa’s trial has been delayed because experts repeatedly found he was not able to understand legal proceedings and help his defense. Both sides will rely on experts to testify about his mental health, possibly including videos of their interviews with Alissa, said defense lawyer Karen Steinhauser, a former prosecutor and University of Denver law professor. Attorney Sam Dunn said Alissa’s schizophrenia includes “auditory hallucinations.” Olds said he is bracing himself to learn more horrific details about the shooting, including from surveillance video not previously shown in public.