Man charged in 3 AZ killings acts odd in court
Web Producer: Christina Grande
PHOENIX (AP) - A man suspected of killing a Paradise Valley couple and a Phoenix man in separate robberies acted bizarrely in court on Thursday, refusing to say his own name and later squawking like a bird.
Michael Lee Crane was in Maricopa County Superior Court in downtown Phoenix for a hearing about his mental capacity to stand trial.
The 31-year-old has pleaded not guilty to three charges of first-degree murder in the killings of Lawrence and Glenna Shapiro on Jan. 30 and of Bruce Gaudet on Jan. 26.
Crane smiled widely at people in the courtroom as detention officers pushed him in a wheelchair.
It was unclear why he was in the chair, but Crane has refused to be taken to court in the past.
His attorney, Jamie Sparks, says that Crane may have hurt his foot but did not elaborate.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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