Accused UNC shooter, mentally unfit for trial, speaks out in court
A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate student charged with murdering his professor is not mentally capable of standing trial, according to multiple psychiatric evaluations.
Taileli Qi, a 34-year-old doctoral student at UNC, is accused of killing his academic adviser on campus in August.
Qi returned to court Monday for a status check on his case, when he was found mentally unfit for trial and given an immediate referral to Central Regional Hospital's 24-hour mental health facility in Butner.
Two psychiatric evaluations, conducted in September and November, conclude Qi has severe mental illness, most likely schizophrenia or untreated psychosis, and that he injured himself last month in the Orange County jail.
Judge Alyson Grine said in part: "Qi demonstrated delusional thinking, experienced auditory hallucinations, engaged in self harm in the detention center, showed fragmented thought processes that impeded his communication ... his behavior was consistent with severe mental illness."
The court maintained Qi is unfit for trial because he is "unable to understand court proceedings, comprehend his situation and assist in his defense."
Qi spoke out in court on Monday, which is unusual, questioning why he had not been able to review the mental competency reports.
"I have a problem," Qi said. "Because my lawyer didn’t provide me any proof of evidence before this court ... I did not have any files to read."
Qi's lawyer explained a doctor behind Qi's evaluation advised her to not provide him with a copy of the report.
Following Qi's mental health treatment, he may or may not recover enough for trial.
Even if Qi is tried at a later time, he could be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Qi's last court appearance was in September, when the results of an initial mental health evaluation revealed similar findings about his mental state.
Earlier in November, Qi was supposed to appear in court again, but he didn’t show up. His attorneys appeared instead.
Qi faces charges of first-degree murder and having a gun on education property. He is being held without bond and is being represented by a public defender.
Qi is accused of shooting Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the department of Applied Physical Sciences and Qi's academic advisor.
"As a prosecutor, I want justice to be done and I mean that. At this point both the defense expert and state’s expert agree he’s not capable of going to trial," said Orange County District Attorney Jeff Nieman.
In the months before his death, Yan reached out to a colleague to express concern over a student who had told him about struggling with severe mental illness and delusions, but he did not specify that student was Qi.
