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SALT LAKE CITY — Curtis Allgier was removed from the courtroom Thursday following an outburst in which he told the judge he was going to file a motion to have him disqualified from his case.
"You're the problem," the heavily tattooed Allgier told 3rd District Judge Paul Maugahn. "My next motion is to disqualify you so you can't (expletive deleted) me around anymore. You're done being my judge."
Allgier's outburst came moments after he was led into the the courtroom and sat down next to his attorneys, who were figuring out when 15 motions recently filed in court would be heard.
During Allgier's rant, he told the judge to "stop smiling like that" at him. Maughan told Allgier he was out of order and had him removed from the courtroom.
Related:
Frustrated judge grants Curtis Allgier new attorneys
Curtis Allgier will receive a new team of attorneys for his capital murder trial — but not because of the conflict of interest issues his attorneys have detailed.Four officers from the Utah Department of Corrections were in the room during the hearing. When the judge ordered Allgier removed, they grabbed the back of his orange jumpsuit to get him to stand up and lead him out. As he was being escorted from the room, Allgier could be heard arguing with the officers, saying: "Don't touch me like that" and "Don't talk to me like that."
It wasn't Allgier's first courtroom outburst. During a hearing in September, he threatened the judge that he would fire his attorneys.
"If you guys want to keep jerking me around, I'll fire these attorneys and represent myself," he said, "If you want to play games with me, then fine. They're fired. I'll represent myself."
Thursday, Allgier told the court his attorneys weren't the problem, but rather the judge.
Allgier, who faces a capital murder charge and a possible death sentence if convicted, is accused of shooting and killing officer Stephen Anderson, 60, during an escape attempt in 2007.
My next motion is to disqualify you so you can't (expletive deleted) me around anymore. You're done being my judge.
–- Curtis Allgier
Allgier's case is scheduled to go to trial next year. But in recent months the case has become known for a series of motions, including complaining about conditions at the Utah State Prison and wanting to get more portions of food so he can gain weight to the point he was at when the original crime occurred.
Thursday, prosecutors and defense attorneys scheduled three more hearings to deal with 15 new motions. Some of those motions include declaring the death penalty unconstitutional, disclosure of the corrections department's procedures and policies, and quashing a subpoena.
Salt Lake County deputy district attorney Robert Stott took the motions in stride, saying there are an "unbelievable number" of motions typically filed in capital murder cases.
"We've heard them before in other cases. We know how to deal with them," he said.
As for whether the high number of motions had thrown the case off schedule, Stott said the Allgier case was "definitely on track."
Email:preavy@ksl.com
