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The man who is charged in a cross-county killing spree last December today asked an Austin judge if he could represent himself in court. Shane James is charged in connection with killing six people and injuring three others in a shooting rampage that went from Bexar County to Austin in Travis County. In Friday's hearing, the judge told James he has a right to represent himself, but he advised him not to do so. The judge also recommended that James receive a mental evaluation in advance of the state considering his mental competency to represent himself in a trial. The judge says he would consider issuing a court-ordered mental assessment if James does not voluntarily submit to the evaluation. He is due back in court on October 10th.