A Kissimmee judge has ordered a competency evaluation for 29-year-old Ahmad Jihad Bojeh after he refused to come into court for his arraignment in a triple homicide that left three tourists from out of state dead. The ruling today effectively hits pause on his plea hearing while mental-health experts determine whether Bojeh can meaningfully help with his own defense.
When the case was called for arraignment, defense attorneys told the court they believed Bojeh was not competent to move forward, and a doctor was appointed on the spot to examine him. According to ClickOrlando, prosecutors pushed back on his refusal to appear and asked that he be brought to future hearings "by any means necessary." The judge responded that if Bojeh keeps refusing to come to court, he is prepared to sign whatever orders are needed to secure his presence.
Prosecutor Peter Donnelly told the court that Bojeh "did get up to eat, go to the bathroom. He is capable of getting up. He is refusing to appear for court today," and urged a quick evaluation to determine whether Bojeh should be sent for treatment to restore his competency, according to ClickOrlando. Defense lawyers countered that physically forcing their client into the courtroom could do more harm than good and asked the judge to decide on each future appearance individually. A competency-status hearing is now set for April 20.
Shooting and charges
Investigators say the deadly shooting unfolded around midday on Jan. 17 outside a vacation rental in the Indian Point subdivision, where three visiting tourists were killed. Deputies reported finding Bojeh at a neighboring home and arresting him there. Prosecutors filed three counts of second-degree murder on Feb. 4, and authorities say they seized firearms from his residence, according to WFTV. Family members and officials identified the men as Robert Lewis Kraft, 70, Douglas Joseph Kraft, 68, and James John Puchan, 69, who had come to Central Florida for the Mecum car show.
Past case and court orders
Court records show Bojeh had already drawn law-enforcement attention once before in a 2021 case, when authorities said he fired at cars and a person in a Kissimmee gas-station parking lot. He was later found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2022 and released under strict conditions that required ongoing mental-health treatment and barred him from owning or possessing firearms, according to People. How he allegedly came to have the weapons recovered at his home in the current case has not yet been explained.
What a competency review can mean
Under Florida law, a judge who has doubts about a defendant's mental fitness must appoint qualified mental-health experts to evaluate whether that person currently has the ability to talk to their lawyer and understand what is happening in court. The law requires opinions from at least two experts and spells out what happens if someone is found incompetent, including options for restoration services or involuntary commitment, according to Florida Statutes, Chapter 916. If evaluators conclude a defendant is unlikely to ever regain competency, the Department is required to submit a detailed competency report to the circuit court, which can then consider whether civil commitment for treatment is appropriate under state rules.
Next steps for the case
For now, Bojeh remains jailed without bond while the competency process plays out and prosecutors continue building their case for trial or any alternative proceedings. The April 20 status hearing is expected to clarify whether experts believe he has been restored to competency, needs to be hospitalized for treatment, or requires some other court order to move the case along, according to WFTV.
Families mourn
The families of the three men released a joint statement calling the killings "random, tragic" and requested privacy as they grieve, according to People. Local officials say the investigation is still active and that they will wait for the competency findings before the court determines the next legal steps.
