Judge rules Kissimmee triple-murder suspect competent to stand trial
Judge rules Kissimmee triple-murder suspect competent to stand trial
A judge has ruled that the man accused of fatally shooting three tourists in Kissimmee earlier this year is competent to stand trial after court-appointed psychiatrists concluded he exaggerated or fabricated symptoms of mental illness in an effort to avoid prosecution.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - A judge has ruled that the man accused of fatally shooting three tourists in Kissimmee earlier this year is competent to stand trial after court-appointed psychiatrists concluded he exaggerated or fabricated symptoms of mental illness in an effort to avoid prosecution.
Ahmad Jihad Bojeh appeared in court Thursday following a competency hearing, where mental health experts testified that although he suffers from psychosis, his condition is treatable with medication and does not prevent him from understanding the legal proceedings or assisting in his defense.
Psychiatrists: Bojeh exaggerated symptoms
What they're saying:
Court-appointed psychiatrists testified that Bojeh intentionally performed poorly on psychological testing to appear mentally incompetent.
One evaluating doctor told the court Bojeh's test results were statistically so improbable they could only be explained by deliberate efforts to answer questions incorrectly.
"The only reasonable explanation for a score that low is somebody who knew many of the right answers and consciously and deliberately provided the wrong ones," the doctor testified, comparing the odds to correctly guessing five outcomes on a true-or-false test or flipping five heads in 61 coin tosses — about 1 in 33 billion.
The psychiatrist acknowledged Bojeh experiences psychosis but testified his symptoms can be managed with medication and do not render him incompetent to stand trial.
Another court-appointed evaluator similarly concluded Bojeh appeared to be exaggerating or fabricating psychiatric symptoms in an apparent attempt to avoid prosecution.
Psychiatric reports made public
Before the competency hearing, Judge Wayne Wooten denied a defense request to keep the psychiatric evaluations under seal, saying the public has a significant interest in understanding how competency proceedings are handled.
"I think there's a great public interest in understanding how the competency process works," Wooten said.
Following the testimony, Wooten ruled Bojeh is legally competent to stand trial.
Triple homicide charges
The backstory:
Bojeh is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in connection with the January shooting deaths of brothers Robert Luis Kraft, 69, of Holland, Michigan, Douglas Joseph Kraft, 68, and their friend, James Puchan, 68.
According to investigators, the three men were staying at a Kissimmee vacation rental while attending a car show. The Osceola County Sheriff's Office has described the killings as premeditated and "cold-blooded."
Prior insanity ruling
Court records show Bojeh was previously arrested by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office in 2021 on charges including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery involving a vehicle and criminal mischief. In that case, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Despite that earlier ruling, the court determined the evidence presented in the current case supports a finding that Bojeh is competent to proceed.
What's next:
Bojeh is scheduled to return to court in November as the murder case moves toward trial.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by previous reporting by FOX 35 News and court proceedings on Sept. 10, 2026.