The Hill News

A judge ruled on Thursday to extend the anti-psychotic treatment of a man accused of shooting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), among others, before making a ruling on his criminal case.

Jared Lee Loughner, 23, was back in court in Tucson, Ariz., Wednesday following a four-month stay at a federal facility in Springfield, Mo. U.S. District Judge Larry Burns ruled him incompetent to stand trial in May and ordered his treatment. Loughner was due for a re-evaluation on Wednesday, where the judge ruled that he should continue his treatment for at least another four months before he could consider another ruling on whether Loughner is competent to stand trial.

Loughner appeared calm and quiet during the court hearing on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.

“Thereâ€! ™s reason to be optimistic he will recover and be able to assist in his case,” Burns said. “The court finds that measurable progress has been made.”

Loughner has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. His medications include the sedative Lorazepam, the antidepressant Wellbutrin and the antipsychotic Risperidone.

Loughner pleaded not guilty to 49 criminal charges, including multiple counts of first-degree murder. He is accused of killing six people, including federal district Judge John Roll and Giffords aide Gabriel Zimmerman, and wounding 14 other people, including shooting Giffords in the head, at an outdoor meet-and-greet for Giffords’s constituents in January.