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Shane James Jr. appears in court for first time after Austin shootings

Shane James Jr. said one reason he was unhappy with his lawyers was because they requested an evaluation of his mental competency. James has a history of mental health problems.

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Shane James Jr., the former U.S. Army officer accused of going on a multi-county rampage on Dec. 5 that left six people dead, appeared in court Friday for the first time since his arrest more than eight months ago and asked the court if he could represent himself.

James told Judge Clifford Brown of the 147th Criminal District Court of Travis County that he was not satisfied with the work his attorneys did. Part of the disagreement stemmed from James' attorneys requesting a mental competency evaluation, which James said was “unfounded.”

Brown informed James that the court would require him to undergo a mental competency review if he represented himself and recommended that he continue to contact his attorneys.

James currently faces seven charges in Travis County: four counts of capital murder, two counts of attempted capital murder and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Travis County Jail records show he is charged with three unspecified misdemeanors outside the county as well as the capital murder charge in Bexar County.

Compared to his mugshot eight months earlier, James had lost weight and grown a beard. He spoke in court with a mild tone and stammered as he spoke.

Authorities said James, 35, killed his parents – Phyllis James, 55, and Shane James Sr., 56 – in their home in eastern Bexar County and then drove to Austin, where he killed four more people – Emmanuel Pop Ba, 33; Sabrina Rahman, 25; Katherine Short, 56, and Lauren Short, 30 – and injured three others, including two police officers.

The indictment states that James told investigators he sensed “impending doom” before killing his parents.

His siblings told authorities that James suffered from schizophrenia and continued to be “mentally decompensated” even after his discharge from the Army in 2015, according to Bexar County charges.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

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