Guilty plea expected over Giffords attack

Jared Lee Loughner, the man accused of killing six people and wounding Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona last year, is expected to plead guilty in a Tucson court tomorrow.

A source familiar with the case said prosecutors believed Mr Loughner was now competent to stand trial. Psychiatric experts were scheduled to testify in a mental competency hearing that he understood the 49 charges against him.

A guilty plea could mean Mr Loughner escapes the death penalty and instead gets life in prison.

REUTERS