Amy Bishop, who's accused of fatally shooting three people at the University of Alabama-Huntsville when she was a professor there, has plead not guilty by reason of mental defect.

Bishop, a neuroscientist, allegedly shot six of her colleagues, killing three in a faculty meeting last February. The meeting occurred after the university denied her tenure. After the shooting, authorities also charged Bishop with killing her brother in 1986 — his death had initially been ruled accidental. After a plea hearing today, her lawyer told Reuters that "Her mind is a major issue." He also previously told press that she was paranoid.

Reuters also notes that Bishop has lost forty pounds in the eighteen-plus months she's been jailed without bail. Says her lawyer, somewhat mystifyingly, "I can't go into the reasons why she has lost weight, but I think it makes her look younger." Maybe one reason is she's been in jail for over a year, awaiting trial for murder? It's nice that she's looking youthful, though!

Alabama Professor Cites Mental Defect In University Shooting [Reuters]
Former Professor Pleads Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity In Fatal Alabama University Shooting [AP, via Washington Post]