He showed little emotion as Pourciau and others described the physical pain, the grief and the despair his rampage caused.
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Victims and relatives then flooded the hallway and hugged. But he said he agreed with one of the victims who warned it would be “no picnic”. They signed the pole and gave it to John Larimer’s father.
“If there was ever a case that warranted the maximum sentences, this is the case”.
The gallery crowd applauded at the judge’s remark. “Eventually, the defendant quit on life”.
Under Colorado law, Samour had no other choice but to order the life sentences. A death sentence required a unanimous jury verdict.
On 20 July 2012, Holmes slipped into a midnight screening of Batman film The Dark Knight Rises armed with a semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. To the end, Holmes’ state-appointed attorneys blamed the massacre on his schizophrenia and psychotic delusions.
Prosecutors pointed to Holmes’ elaborate planning and his refusal to divulge to anyone family, friends, psychiatrists that he was thinking about, and preparing for, mass murder.
The judge said people could focus on the free food and medical care Holmes will receive.
According to witnesses, James Holmes expressed no remorse at any point during his trial.
Samour said the trial provided a platform for the community to know the people who were lost, and to learn about how such horrific, violent acts affect hundreds if not thousands of people.
“I still think that guy ought to die”, Brauchler said, defending the legal process that spared the killer from death.
A jury earlier this month returned the recommendation for consecutive life sentences after being unable to agree on a death sentence for the former neuroscience graduate student.
Samour will be handing down final sentences for Holmes during Wednesday’s hearing.
The 27-year-old was convicted of first-degree murder and 140 counts of attempted first degree murder, as well as an explosives charge. That meant that Holmes was automatically handed life sentences for each person he killed, reported NBC News.
Nearly 100 people testified or read victim statements.
Over the past few days, victims of the attack took the stand to talk about the emotional scars left behind.
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A judge formally sentenced Holmes Wednesday to a dozen life sentences without parole, plus an additional 3,300 years to be served consecutively.
