A man charged with killing two strangers, execution style, in separate downtown Portland shootings last fall may never face trial.

James Javonte Barquet, 27, has been held in the Oregon State Hospital since late July, his lawyer told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Tuesday.

A Multnomah County judge last month found Barquet unfit to proceed in his criminal case, citing a “qualifying mental disorder,” court records show.

The judge ordered the defendant committed for up to three years as state hospital officials determine whether he has the capacity to stand trial, according to the records.

Barquet, a convicted felon from Washington, is accused of killing 70-year-old Carol Horner of Portland the night of Nov. 19 and 51-year-old Brian Hansen of Vancouver early Nov. 20 with single shots to the head using a .45-caliber pistol.

The fatal shootings — one beneath the Morrison Bridge, the other on the south sidewalk of the Burnside Bridge — occurred four hours apart and less than a mile from each other.

In between, investigators say Barquet walked into a gas station with a gun and walked out with cigarettes.

Seattle police are also investigating whether Barquet is responsible for a similar execution-style shooting in their city hours earlier. The woman in that case was shot in the head at a bus stop but survived, police said.

In Portland, Barquet has pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of first-degree robbery and being a felon in possession of a gun.

Court documents show Barquet has 11 felony convictions in Washington dating back to 2011, including theft, robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was on supervision in Washington for a drug conviction when he was arrested.

James Barquet, 26, is charged in connection with two Portland homicides on Nov. 19 and Nov. 20, 2018. Seattle police are investigating if he's tied to a shooting about 2 a.m. on Nov. 19 in North Seattle.

Issues surrounding his mental health emerged this spring after he wrote a letter to Judge Thomas Ryan asking to fire his court-appointed attorneys, Steven Krasik, Lisa Ludwig and Christopher Marin.

Barquet’s hand-written letter, filed in court June 6, alleged his legal team had failed to fulfill requests he made and lost important documents related to his case. He also claimed to personally know close relatives of his lawyers, which Barquet said created a conflict of interest.

During a July 3 hearing to review his request, Barquet told Ryan that he had engaged in sexual acts with all three of his attorneys.

“Based on my conversation with you, the letter you wrote and the entire record, I have concerns about your — and I have reason to doubt — your ability to be fit to proceed,” said Ryan, according to an audio recording of the hearing obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive through a public records request.

“How is that possible when I just said that I am all competent and understanding?” Barquet replied. “I know everything that’s going on. I know the law.”

“I’m concerned because some of the things you said seem to be delusional,” Ryan said.

The judge then ordered Barquet to undergo a mental health evaluation, according to the hearing’s audio recording and court records. In an interview, Ludwig said her client was taken to the Oregon State Hospital at the end of July and assessed by Dr. Jerome Gordon on Aug. 1.

Based on the state hospital’s findings, which included a “qualifying mental disorder,” as well as the judge’s own observations of the defendant, Ryan on Aug. 20 ruled Barquet unfit to proceed in his case and ordered that he remain committed, court records show.

Court records do not detail Barquet’s reported mental health issues. Ludwig, his lawyer, and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office declined to discuss them.

Barquet’s next court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 4.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632

Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh

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