Loughner Charged With Murders of Judge, Aide

Alleged Tucson gunman indicted on 49 charges in shooting

From Carol Cratty, CNN

March 5, 2011 -- Updated 0207 GMT (1007 HKT)

Jared Loughner is accused of shooting Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others at a grocery store in January.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Rep. Giffords' office releases a photo taken of her on the morning of the shooting
• Jared Lee Loughner is indicted on 49 counts in January shooting
• The indictment carries a potential death sentence upon conviction, the U.S. attorney says
• Giffords is undergoing rehabilitation at a medical facility in Houston

In CNN's news blog, see a photo of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and another victim taken the morning of the shooting.

(CNN) -- Accused Tucson gunman Jared Lee Loughner has been indicted on 49 counts including murder and attempted murder that stem from a shooting that left six people dead and critically wounded Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

A grand jury had indicted Loughner, 22, on three counts of attempted murder, including one alleging that he tried to kill Giffords with a Glock semiautomatic handgun during an event for constituents at a Tucson grocery store in January.

Giffords is currently undergoing rehabilitation at a medical facility in Houston, Texas.

The new indictment, returned by a federal grand jury Thursday, includes those three charges and adds murder charges connected to the deaths of John M. Roll, a federal district judge, and Gabriel M. Zimmerman, a staff member for Giffords. He also faces charges in the deaths of Dorothy J. Morris, Phyllis C. Schneck, Dorwan C. Stoddard, and a child, referred to in the indictment as C-T G.

Nine-year-old Christina-Taylor Green was among those killed in the shooting.

A charge of attempted assassination of a member of Congress also is among the 49 counts.

Rabbi gives update on Giffords

"The deceased are not the only ones whose rights are being defended," U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke said in a news release. "Those citizens who were peaceably assembled to speak to their member of Congress are also named victims in this indictment."

The indictment carries a potential death sentence if convicted, Burke added, although prosecutors have not said yet whether they will seek the death penalty.

"We will seek justice for the federal officials, Judge Roll and Gabriel M. Zimmerman, and for Dorothy J. Morris, Phyllis C. Schneck, Dorwan C. Stoddard, and C-T G," Burke said.

The alleged gunman previously had faced two murder charges in the deaths of Roll and Zimmerman, but in a procedural maneuver, prosecutors had temporarily dropped those charges, bringing them back under the superseding indictment.

Loughner, who is being held by authorities in Arizona, is expected to be arraigned on the new charges March 9 in Tucson, the district attorney's office said.

Also Friday, Giffords' office released a picture of her taken the morning of the shooting. The congresswoman is seen standing in front of the grocery store, talking to constituents identified by her office as Jim and Doris Tucker.

Jim Tucker was shot twice, once in his calf and once in his collarbone, according to CNN affiliate KOLD. His wife escaped unharmed.

"I've wondered since the very beginning, 'Why wasn't I shot?' but I just take it as a miracle from God that I wasn't, for some purpose," Doris Tucker has told the network.

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