TUCSON, Ariz. -- Witnesses to Monday's proceeding said Jared Lee Loughner, the accused shooter in Saturday's massacre, appeared to be smirking when he walked into the courtroom.
"When he walked in, there was a difference about this guy," said veteran courtroom artist Maggie Keane. "I felt very creeped out. He had a very strange demeanor about him."
When Magistrate Judge Lawrence Anderson asked Loughner if he understood that he could get life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of killing Arizona's chief federal judge, Loughner answered, "Yes."
When the proceeding wrapped up, Loughner, who had been quiet and cooperative, was taken away from the courtroom under heavy security.
All of the federal judges in Arizona, including Anderson, have already recused themselves in the case, citing their personal and professional relationships with Roll, the murder victim. An out-of-state judge will likely take over the proceedings.
Dozens of state charges against Loughner are expected out of Pima County. Those charges will relate to the victims who are not government employees. Pima County prosecutors there are trying to determine whether they need to wait until the federal complaint is resolved or if they can move forward now.
Prosecutors are not in a hurry to file those state charges because Loughner is already in federal custody.
