It’s been nearly a month since a fatal shooting that claimed the life of Daniel Baker outside the Bimor Shell gas station in Grants Pass.
And the man accused of killing Baker was in court to determine his mental competency to stand trial.
Laurence King has been in the Josephine County Jail without bail since the February 16th shooting. On Thursday, his attorney, Mark Sabitt, withdrew a motion to have King declared unfit to proceed to trial. The 30 year-old Selma man is charged with aggravated murder, a possible death penalty case.
Court records indicate a possible motive for the shooting: Baker had struck a plea deal and had agreed to testify against eight people in a check fraud ring. Police also allege Baker also may have had a possible relationship with King’s wife.
Grants Pass police say King armed himself with a 12-gauge shotgun and followed Baker to the gas station.
” The guy lifts the shot gun, shoots one off and the guy drops and casually drove off,” says witness Seth Miller.
Originally, his lawyer claimed that King was suffering from bipolar disorder and was not receiving necessary medications in jail. Since then, King has been given an anti-psychotic medication, that has been increased twice since its initial dose.
King is due back in court in May for a hearing on the status of his case.
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