Jing Hau Wu entered the courtroom with his eyes down. The yellow jumpsuit indicates he's being held in the mental health ward of the jail.
"All we can tell you is that he's very sad and distraught about the situation," said public defender Michael Ogul.
The former Siport engineer was fired from his job in Santa Clara last Friday. Prosecutors say he returned hours later and killed three people.
"Employees saw him go into CEO Sid Agrawal's office. Employees then heard gunshots and the defendant fled," said Deputy District Attornet Jeff Rosen.
Funeral services for all three victims are being held this week and the families have requested privacy.
A long time family friend of Wu was in court and talked with a Chinese language reporter who later acted as our interpreter.
"Jing Hau Wu is a very nice guy who is very shy, very nice person and very good to family and friends," said the defendant's friend Karen Cai through an interpreter.
Prosecutors have not decided whether to seek the death penalty in this case but that is definitely an option.
The DA's Office says it could take months to come to a decision on that.
"We speak with the victim's families and we also of course try to do what we think is right," said Rosen.
Published reports indicate Wu and his wife have 19 properties in three states worth at least $2.4 million and there are questions about why he's been assigned two public defenders.
"All we know is that right now he's been unable to retain counsel so he has to have somebody for today and we'll see what develops over time," said Ogul.
A judge will ultimately decide if Wu must hire his own attorney. He's due back in court December 18th to enter a plea.
