Judge says "no" to Purdue shooting suspect on representation request

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — A judge has turned down a request from the man charged with killing a fellow Purdue University student during a classroom attack that he be allowed to fire his defense attorney and represent himself in court.

Defense lawyer Robert Gevers wrote in a motion that 23-year-old Cody Cousins no longer wants his representation but didn't give details.

The Journal & Courier reports Tippecanoe County Judge Thomas Busch on Tuesday denied Gevers' motion to withdraw, ruling it didn't meet the criteria for such action.

Cousins faces a murder charge for the January shooting and stabbing death of 21-year-old Andrew Boldt of West Bend, Wis., inside Purdue's Electrical Engineering Building on the West Lafayette campus.

Police and prosecutors haven't indicated a possible motive for the attack.