Colorado movie massacre gunman James Holmes was found guilty on July 16 of multiple counts of first degree murder and attempted murder, a verdict that enables prosecutors to seek the death penalty for the former graduate student who killed a dozen people and wounded 70 at a midnight premiere of a Batman film in 2012, Reuters reported.
After a three-month trial in which they were presented with thousands of pieces of evidence and testimony from hundreds of witnesses, jurors deliberated for about a day and a half—approximately 12 hours—then handed prosecutors a big win. The panel of nine women and three men rejected the defense’s claim that Holmes was legally insane.
Now the trial enters a new phase as the jury decides whether Holmes should die for his crimes.
As this issue of TGM went to press, the jurors were slated to begin hearing testimony about Holmes’ mental illness and his childhood. Prosecutors may counter with even more heartbreaking accounts from victims, ranging from those Holmes maimed to the father of his youngest victim, a 6-year-old girl who died in the 2012 attack.
There was a muted, heartbroken sense of relief following Holmes’ conviction on 165 counts of murder, attempted murder and other charges, Reuters reported. Victims wept and comforted one another in the courtroom during the hour-long recitation of each verdict, holding hands and nodding their heads with satisfaction when their loved one’s names were read.
Experts say the sentencing phase could prove even more emotionally wrenching as survivors describe the impact of the shooting on their daily lives. It will be a harder decision for jurors, who will have fewer instructions to guide them, defense attorney Karen Steinhauser, who is not involved in the Holmes case, told Reuters. That jurors swiftly rejected Holmes’ insanity defense doesn’t mean they’ll come to a speedy conclusion about his punishment.
If just one juror disagrees with a death sentence, Holmes, 27, will be sent to prison for life.
