Lawyer: Fla. shooting suspect mentally ill

Published: Nov. 7, 2009 at 12:33 PM

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 7 (UPI) -- A Florida judge ordered the man accused of a deadly shooting spree in an Orlando office building held without bail at a brief jailhouse hearing Saturday.

Jason Rodriguez was advised he is being held on a charge of first-degree murder, the Orlando Sentinel reported. One person was killed and five wounded Friday.

The shootings occurred at an architectural and engineering firm where Rodriguez once worked. A spokesman for Reynolds, Smith & Hill told The Wall Street Journal he was fired from his job as a transportation engineer in 2007 because of his performance.

Robert Wesley, head of the public defender's office in Orange and Osceola counties, told reporters Rodriguez is in a cell with no furniture, the Sentinel said.

"He is being held under different circumstances and has not been given clothes," Wesley said. "He is a very, very mentally ill person."

During his two-minute hearing before Judge Walter Komanski in the Orange County Jail, Rodriguez said almost nothing. He rocked and looked at the floor.

His mother, Ana Lopez-Rodriguez, made a brief statement afterward to reporters. She refused to answer questions.

"I am so sorry for everything that's happened," she said. "This is very, very hurtful."

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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