People v. Shiga
Annotate this CaseDefendant appealed his conviction after he set fire to St. John Vianney Catholic Church and the fire spread to the rectory where priests were sleeping. The court concluded that the trial court erred in failing to recognize it was within its discretion to conduct an inquiry regarding defendant’s mental competency to represent himself and, if necessary, to deny defendant’s Faretta request; the trial court erred in failing to recognize it was within its discretion to inquire whether a second hearing regarding defendant’s mental competency to stand trial should be ordered; and the trial court's errors were prejudicial per se and require reversal without any harmless error analysis. Accordingly, the court reversed and remanded for further proceedings.
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