Judge raises concerns over suicide watch for accused Correspondents' Dinner shooter

Judge raises concerns over suicide watch for accused Correspondents' Dinner shooter

A federal judge has raised concerns about the suspect's confinement as attorneys dispute his suicide watch status. Prosecutors say new evidence shows Allen intended to target President Donald Trump. FOX 5 DC's Sydney Persing has the latest.

WASHINGTON - A legal battle is escalating over the jail conditions of Cole Thomas Allen, the 31-year-old California man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last weekend.

Defense attorneys and prosecutors are set to appear in court Monday morning to argue over whether Allen should have been on suicide watch and the conditions he was held under.

What they're saying:

Allen’s attorneys argue he was wrongly placed under suicide precautions despite showing no risk factors during his initial assessment. They say those restrictions—being held alone in a "safe cell," denied phone calls, visits and access to a tablet—prevented him from actively participating in his own defense and imposed excessive limitations on his rights.

(Photo by U.S. Department of Justice/Getty Images)

Although Allen has since been removed from suicide watch, the presiding judge declined to cancel a scheduled hearing on the matter, according to FOX 5 DC reporting. 

The judge cited "grave concerns" about what was described as seemingly unprompted solitary confinement and the overall conditions Allen experienced while in custody.

Meanwhile, prosecutors are moving forward with the case.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement that the government plans to present evidence to a grand jury this week, including data suggesting Allen tracked whether President Donald Trump would be present at the dinner and monitored event timing.

Pirro also pushed back against any potential insanity defense, asserting that Allen acted with clear intent and documented his cross-country trip.

What's next:

The upcoming hearing is expected to address both the legality of Allen’s confinement conditions and broader concerns about detainee treatment, per FOX 5 DC reporting, even as the criminal case against him continues to build.