July 20, 2012 – Holmes slips through a back door of the Century 16 theater in Aurora, where about 420 people are watching a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises“, and opens fire.
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James Holmes will get life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The verdict: James Holmes has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision.
They would have had to be unanimous for a death penalty to be imposed.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper wrote on Twitter, “Our thoughts remain with the victims & families who have suffered unspeakable tragedy”.
The decision of the jury – a panel of nine women and three men – was revealed by Judge Carlos Samour in a courtroom in the city of Centennial on Friday.
June 4, 2013 – The judge accepts Holmes’ insanity plea and orders Holmes to undergo a mental evaluation. Earlier this week, families of victims were given the opportunity to testify before the court on the impact that the loss of their loved ones had on their lives. “I still think death is justice for what that guy did, but the system said otherwise”, he said.
In his speech to the jury, District Attorney George Brauchler said justice for Holmes meant execution for the “horror and evil” he wrought inside the crowded cinema. Opposition and support for the death penalty have long crossed party lines in Colorado, both in public opinion polls and in the Legislature, where lawmakers also tried unsuccessfully to abolish the death penalty in 1999 and 2013. But the mass murder of 12 defenseless theatergoers three years ago was so horrific that many observers predicted death would be the only possible outcome.
The woman, who asked only to be named as Juror 17, told how members of the jury had called for a graphic 45-minute video, which showed the crime scene inside the cinema, to be shown again in an attempt to change the juror’s mind.
He also thanked the jury for their service during the four-month trial, and said they had done “a hell of a job”.
“We have said from the beginning that we didn’t care what the verdict was at the end, and that remains true”, said Sandy Phillips, who was wrapped in a bright green scarf that belonged to her slain daughter Jessica Ghawi, age 24.
Refusing to give her name, she added: “All the jurors feel so much empathy for the victims”.
The decision follows more than three months of often emotional testimony from those who survived the attack – some in wheelchairs – and the children and parents left to figure out their lives without their loved ones.
While agreeing that Holmes was mentally ill, the jury could not reach unanimity on the death penalty.
Five buildings, including Holmes’ apartment building at 1690 Paris St., are evacuated after the suspect makes a statement to police about explosives in his unit.
The defense argued Holmes’ schizophrenia led to a psychotic break, and powerful delusions drove him to carry out one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings.
Holmes admitted to his crimes and had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
He declined to testify in his own defense.
Holmes graduated with honors from the University of California, Riverside, and had no previous criminal record.
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Holmes also constructed an elaborate booby-trap in his flat a few miles away.
