Prosecutors filed aggravated murder charges Monday in Superior Court against the 28-year-old man accused of killing six people in a Sept. 2 shooting rampage in the northwestern state of Washington.
A sheriff's deputy was among those allegedly killed by Isaac Zamora near the small northwest Washington town of Alger.
Zamora faces six counts of aggravated first-degree murder, a crime punishable in Washington state by either death or life in prison without parole. Skagit County Prosecutor Richard Weyrich has 30 days to decide whether to seek the death penalty.
The shootings claimed the life of Skagit County Sheriff's Deputy Anne Jackson, two Alger-area residents, two construction workers and a motorist on Interstate 5.
Six counts of attempted first-degree murder were also filed, in the cases of four people wounded by gunshots or stabbing, as well as a couple who escaped injury when a bullet shattered two windows of their vehicle as they drove on Interstate 5. In all, prosecutors filed 20 charges, including weapons and burglary counts.
Zamora was also charged earlier this month in District Court. His only comment during that court appearance was to twice declare: "I kill for God. I listen to God."
His public defender, Keith Tyne, said at that time "clearly there are significant mental health issues at play." A phone message left for Tyne after business hours Monday was not immediately returned.
The shooting spree shocked the small town of Alger, located about 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of Seattle. Most of the shootings took place in an isolated neighborhood; prosecutors allege Zamora then headed south on I-5, firing as he went.
Zamora was also charged with the theft of a rifle and a handgun. Investigators said earlier the rifle used in the shootings had been stolen from a residence near Zamora's mother's home.
According to court documents, the events on Sept. 2 began with a 911 call from Dennise Zamora, the mother of Isaac Zamora, who called police because she was afraid her son was breaking into neighbor's houses, and might get shot doing so. Dennise Zamora has said her son has struggled for years with serious mental illness.
According to court documents, in a police interview after his arrest Zamora refused to discuss his specific actions but said God told him what to do and told him to "kill evil."
"God, why did I do it?" he blurted at one point in the interview.
