Douglas E. Wilson, Petitioner v. the People of the State of Colorado, Respondent; William Beaty, Petitioner v. The…

Summary

The court held that Colorado need not adopt a separate competency standard for mentally ill defendants who seek to waive the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. Colorado's existing two-part totality-of-the-circumstances framework gives trial courts sufficient discretion to account for mental illness while balancing self-representation and fair-trial rights. The court therefore affirmed both court of appeals decisions.