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Author Topic: Mass Shooting Inside Aurora, Colorado Theater -12 dead & 58 wounded  (Read 131741 times)
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« Reply #200 on: January 27, 2014, 10:52:10 PM »

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/24555060/5-things-to-know-as-james-holmes-returns-to-court
5 Things to Know as James Holmes returns to court
January 27, 2014

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) - Colorado theater shooting defendant James Holmes returned to court Monday for a closed hearing on whether he should get a second psychiatric evaluation. Holmes is charged with the July 2012 Aurora shootings that killed 12 people and injured 70. Here are five things to know about the case so far:

1. WHERE THINGS STAND: Holmes' lawyers acknowledge he was the shooter but say he was, and still is, mentally ill. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and underwent a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation at the Colorado state hospital last summer. The findings haven't been made public, but prosecutors want their own experts to do another evaluation, claiming the doctor who conducted the first one was biased.

2. WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK: The two sides are arguing about whether Holmes should undergo another evaluation. Victims, the general public and reporters are barred from the courtroom; the judge says publicizing the testimony could influence potential jurors and make it impossible for Holmes to get a fair trial. Witnesses will include the psychiatrist who evaluated Holmes at the state hospital.
And three more...
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« Reply #201 on: February 19, 2014, 07:19:36 PM »

James Holmes should never again be outside a mental health hospital or prison walls, imo. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/19/colorado-theater-suspect-james-holmes-new-mental-exam/5621295/
James Holmes to face second mental exam
February 19, 2014

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — The judge overseeing the Colorado theater shooting trial has ordered that the suspect, James Holmes, undergo another sanity evaluation.

In an order published Wednesday, Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. agreed with prosecutors that the first evaluation, conducted last summer, was flawed. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, and Holmes' fate likely hangs on whether the jury decides he was sane or insane at the time of the shooting.
The order is a brief win for the prosecutors who asked for another evaluation after Holmes was interviewed and observed at the state's mental health hospital in Pueblo, Colo. The contents of that evaluation are unknown.

"The people have demonstrated that the (Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo) examination is incomplete and inadequate," the judge's order said. "Accordingly, the Court grants the people's request for further or other examination."

Prosecutors had asked to have doctors of their choosing conduct the new evaluation, but Samour denied that request, ordering that the second evaluation be conducted by the state hospital, but by a different doctor than last time.

The order requires the state to select another psychiatrist by March 10.

If jurors eventually decide Holmes was insane, he would be acquitted of the crimes and committed indefinitely to the state hospital. If they decide he was sane, he could be convicted and sentenced either to be executed or spend life in prison without parole.
 

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« Reply #202 on: March 23, 2014, 03:11:32 PM »

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/accused-aurora-gunmanjames-holmes-trial-october-n40216
Accused Aurora GunmanJames Holmes' Trial for October
February 27, 2014

A judge set a new trial date Thursday for accused mass murderer James Holmes, the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooter.

The trial, initially slated to start this month, is now scheduled to begin Oct. 14 — but District Judge Carlos Samour said the date may change again because Holmes' lawyers are planning to challenge a recent order to have a new sanity evaluation done.

Holmes, 26, is charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder related to the July 2012 shooting spree during the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" that left 12 dead and 70 others wounded.

He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Defense lawyers concede Holmes was the lone gunman in the suburban Denver theater shooting, but argue he was in the midst of a psychotic episode during the rampage.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Holmes, a former neuroscience graduate student, underwent a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation last summer. The results have not been made public, but were given to the judge and attorneys. Prosecutors, insisting the examination had "numerous deficiencies," sought a second evaluation.

Samour ordered the second evaluation be finished by July 11. Defense attorneys have said they will challenge the order for a second evaluation, and may appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Prosecutor Rich Orman said most of the victims in the case want to move more quickly: "They prefer that the trial had started long ago."
 
Holmes appeared in court on Thursday for the hearing, his wrists and ankles in shackles. His hair and beard, which were long and ungroomed in previous court appearances, were neatly trimmed.

Samour expects to issue 6,000 jury summonses for the case — making it one of the largest jury calls in U.S. history, according to The Denver Post.

The next hearing in the case is set for April 28, when the defense is expected to make several challenges to the Colorado death penalty statutes.

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« Reply #203 on: March 23, 2014, 03:12:57 PM »

http://kdvr.com/2014/03/03/aurora-theater-shooting-fast-facts/
Aurora theater shooting Fast Facts
March 3, 2014

ere is some background information about the July 20, 2012, movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo. Twelve people were killed and 58 others were injured. Suspect James Holmes has been charged with 152 counts and has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Fatalities: (12 total) Jonathan T. Blunk, 26 Alexander J. Boik, 18 Air Force Staff Sgt Jesse E. Childress, 29 Gordon W. Cowden, 51 Jessica Ghawi, 24 Petty Officer 3rd Class John Thomas Larimer, 27 Matthew R. McQuinn, 27 Micayla C. Medek, 23 Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6 Alex M. Sullivan, 27 Alexander C. Teves, 24 Rebecca Ann Wingo, 32
James E. Holmes: Birth date: December 13, 1987
Birth place: San Diego, California
Birth name: James Eagan Holmes
Father: Robert Holmes, a scientist
Mother: Arlene Holmes
Education: University of California, Riverside, B.S. in neuroscience, 2010 (graduated with highest honors) University of Colorado Anschultz Medical Campus, enrolled in 2011 as a doctoral candidate in its neuroscience program. Withdrew in June 2012.
More... (Including timeline)
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« Reply #204 on: March 23, 2014, 03:14:39 PM »

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/18/james-holmes-mental-exam/6586951/
Judge puts James Holmes' 2nd mental exam on hold
March 18, 2014

Defense has filed three emotions saying judge misinterpreted the law and made other errors.

DENVER (AP) — The judge in the Colorado theater shooting case put a new sanity evaluation for defendant James Holmes on hold Tuesday until defense lawyers' objections can be resolved.

The defense has filed three motions saying Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. misinterpreted the law and made other errors when he granted a prosecution request last month for a new evaluation.

It wasn't immediately clear how long it would take to resolve the objections or whether that would delay the trial, now scheduled to start in October.

The defense motions were filed late Friday but weren't disclosed until Tuesday, and the contents have not been made public. Samour summarized them in his order Tuesday but said the contents of the motions — and part of the title of one — would remain sealed.
More...
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« Reply #205 on: March 23, 2014, 03:16:24 PM »

Opinion:
http://**/opinion/ci_25392762/defense-attorneys-fuss-over-tweets-holmes-case-is
Meyer: Defense attorneys' fuss over tweets in James Holmes case is ridiculous
POSTED:   03/21/2014 11:36:32 AM MDT | UPDATED:   ABOUT 18 HOURS AGO

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« Reply #206 on: April 23, 2014, 03:58:43 PM »

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/aurora-case-hold-while-james-holmes-appeals-sanity-hearing-n87826
Aurora Case on Hold While James Holmes Appeals Sanity Hearing
April 23, 2014

Colorado movie-massacre shooter James Holmes is appealing a judge's order for a second sanity evaluation, bogging down the timetable for a trial that was to start two months ago.

The court put the new psychiatric exam on hold pending the appeal and also postponed two hearings scheduled for next month on issues surrounding jury selection.

The trial, originally slated for February, is scheduled to begin Oct. 14, but it's not clear if the fight over the exam and other outstanding motions could cause further delays.

Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to capital murder charges in the July 2012 shooting during a midnight screening of a Batman sequel that left 12 people dead and more than 70 wounded or injured.

The graduate school dropout had a sanity evaluation last year, but Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos Samour Jr. said it was inadequate and ordered a second round over the defense's objections.

Holmes' legal team said in court papers made public Wednesday that it plans to file an appeal within 30 days.

The defense is also seeking a change of venue, arguing that Holmes cannot get a fair trial in the Denver suburbs.
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« Reply #207 on: May 29, 2014, 09:53:01 PM »

http://online.wsj.com/articles/holmes-lawyers-want-closed-jury-selection-in-colorado-shooting-case-1401393937
Holmes' Lawyers Want Closed Jury Selection in Colorado Shooting Case
12 People Were Killed in 2012 Theater Shooting

May 29, 2014

CENTENNIAL, Colo.—Lawyers for the defendant in the Colorado theater shooting case want jury selection closed to the public and press.

James Holmes' attorneys said at a hearing on Thursday that potential jurors could be harassed if their answers to questions are made public.

Prosecutors agreed that the individual questioning of prospective jurors should be closed so no members of the pool would learn in advance what they will be asked.

However, prosecutors want the final step kept open, when 12 jurors and 12 alternates are chosen.

Media organizations plan to file an objection over the move to close any of the process.

Dow Jones & Co., which publishes The Wall Street Journal, will be part of the media group filing an objection to the efforts to close jury selection.
 
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« Reply #208 on: July 01, 2014, 04:54:17 PM »

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/Prosecutors-Holmes-defense-misleading-victims-5593737.php
Prosecutors: Holmes defense misleading victims
July 1, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Prosecutors in the Colorado theater shooting case are accusing a representative of the defense team of misleading victims, trying to convince them to oppose the death penalty and offering to leak sensitive information to them.

In a document released Tuesday, prosecutors allege the defense sent "a wolf in sheep's clothing" to the victims, an apparent reference to a victim-outreach specialist working for defense lawyers.


The document is a response to an allegation by defense lawyers that prosecutors interfered with their investigation.

Both sides routinely decline to comment, citing a judge's gag order.
 
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« Reply #209 on: July 09, 2014, 04:29:07 PM »

It looks like the victims and their families are going to be left hanging longer while waiting for justice.  They already carry such a burden from the acts of the evil one.   

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/09/colorado-theater-shooting/12420987/
Trial for Colorado movie theater shootings pushed back
July 9, 2014

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — October jury selection for accused movie theater shooter James Holmes will be delayed because the state's mental hospital needs more time to conduct a second sanity evaluation of Holmes, a Colorado judge ruled Wednesday.

A new trial date will be set during a July 22 hearing, said Judge Carlos Samour of the state's 18th Judicial District Court. In a letter from the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo, the judge was asked to delay the trial because of the need to review more material and conduct more interviews.

"The court also recognizes that most of the named victims likely oppose a postponement of the trial date," Samour wrote. "However, the court has little choice but to grant the examiners request. ... It is important that the second examination is adequate and complete."
 

The first evaluation was done last year. The key finding — whether Holmes was insane at the time of the shootings — hasn't been made public, but prosecutors objected to the report, saying the doctor who conducted it was biased.

The second examiner's name and credentials haven't been made public, but Samour has said he doesn't live in Colorado. Samour's order also revealed that the new evaluation would be videotaped, and the examiner offered to withhold that evidence if the judge ordered it.

That second report on Holmes' mental health had been due Aug. 15, but the state mental hospital said it would need until Oct. 15, a day after jury selection was to begin, to deliver the report.

This is the third time Holmes' trial has been delayed. If jury selection had begun in October, opening statements were expected to start in February.
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« Reply #210 on: July 14, 2014, 10:15:33 AM »

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime/article/Judge-bars-filming-of-James-Holmes-exam-for-now-5619849.php
Judge bars filming of James Holmes exam, for now
July 14, 2014

DENVER (AP) — The judge in the Colorado theater shootings case has told a doctor not to video-record the second sanity evaluation of defendant James Holmes, at least until a hearing on the matter.

The judge issued the order Friday after defense attorneys objected to the planned video recording. The judge plans a hearing this week, but hasn't set a date.

The state mental hospital has said the doctor routinely video-records his examinations but didn't say why. He offered to withhold the video from both sides.
 
The judge ordered a second sanity evaluation after concluding that the first was flawed.
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« Reply #211 on: September 05, 2014, 06:13:51 PM »

http://www.wchstv.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/31feba60-www.wchstv.com.shtml
Theater shooting defense: Ban TV camera in court
September 5, 2014

DENVER (AP) -- Attorneys for Colorado theater shooting defendant James Holmes are asking the judge to bar television coverage inside the courtroom, saying it would violate Holmes' right to a fair trial.
In a filing released Friday, defense lawyers argued that televising the trial could intimidate witnesses, expose jurors and attorneys to death threats and create other problems.
They said broadcasting the trial would be entertainment, not education, and it wouldn't improve the public's impression of the court system.
A group of television and radio broadcasters asked the judge last month to permit a single TV camera and an audio system in the courtroom during the trial, scheduled to start Dec. 8.
 
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« Reply #212 on: October 14, 2014, 06:02:12 PM »

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime/article/Colorado-theater-shooting-victims-write-to-judge-5822667.php
Colorado theater shooting victims write to judge
October 14, 2014

DENVER (AP) — Several victims of the Colorado theater shootings have written letters to the judge about his decision to let news organizations broadcast the trial using a closed-circuit TV camera already in the courtroom.

In an order released Tuesday, Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. agreed to read the letters but only after the trial of James Holmes. He says he is aware some victims opposed his September order allowing video of the proceedings, but the law doesn't allow victims or attorneys to submit filings on court rulings.
 
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« Reply #213 on: October 23, 2014, 03:24:51 PM »

Yes.  What about all of the victims?

http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Theater-shooting-prosecutors-agree-to-trial-delay-5842604.php
Theater shooting prosecutors agree to trial delay
October 23, 2014

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — Prosecutors would agree to push back the trial for the man charged in the Colorado theater shootings so defense attorneys can have more time to review his sanity exam, according to court filings released Thursday.
But prosecutors said they would oppose a delay of more than four or five weeks because most of the victims do not want the trial postponed any longer.
James Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to killing 12 people and injuring 70 in the July 2012 attack on a Denver-area theater. The trial was set for Dec. 8. If District Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. grants the delay, it would be the fifth time the trial has been postponed.
Defense attorneys sought the delay this week, saying they need more time to review a second sanity evaluation of Holmes that included 22 hours of interviews with the defendant.
Prosecutors said they understood that the complexity of the mental health report may warrant more time, but the majority of the victims polled do not want any further delay. Of 147 victims and relatives surveyed by prosecutors, 84 said they object to further postponement. Twenty-nine said they would not object to a short delay.
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« Reply #214 on: October 27, 2014, 11:16:25 PM »

The judge complained about the delays and says he won't accept any further delays, he still allowed the fourth postponement.  Will he allow the next requested postponement, because surely there will be another one, imo.  Time to get the show on the road.  Yes, James Holmes deserves a fair trial.  What about the victims?

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fed-judge-delays-james-holmes-theater-shooting-trial-january-n235136
Fed-Up Judge Delays James Holmes' Theater Shooting Trial to January
October 27, 2014

The trial of James Eagan Holmes in the killings of 12 people in a Colorado movie theater was postponed yet again Monday, with jury selection now scheduled for Jan. 20. But the judge insisted that he wouldn't accept any further delays and said opening statements would go ahead as planned in June.

Holmes, 26, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting spree in Aurora in July 2012. His attorneys had asked for the fourth postponement while they reviewed a second court-ordered sanity examination, which was filed Oct. 15. While prosecutors agreed that it was "reasonable" to give Holmes some extra time beyond the previously scheduled Dec. 8, state District Judge Carlos Samour agreed with them that Holmes' lawyers were wrong to request an indefinite delay.

"The Court has been adamant throughout these proceedings that it will not allow unnecessary delays," Samour wrote in an order issued Monday in Centennial, Colorado, which accuses Holmes' lawyers of "grousing." "The Court continues to plan on opening statements taking place in June."
 
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« Reply #215 on: December 08, 2014, 04:07:32 PM »

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/08/us-usa-denver-shooting-idUSKBN0JM25720141208
Judge in Colorado theater shooting case to rule on trial delay soon
December 8, 2014

(Reuters) - A judge overseeing the case of a mass shooting at a Colorado theater in 2012 said Monday he would rule within a couple of days on a defense request to delay the trial again.

Lawyers for the gunman, James Holmes, made their latest request for the trial to be delayed last week, adding on Monday that medical emergencies had also affected two members of the defense team.

Holmes, 26, is charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder for opening fire inside a Denver-area theater during a midnight screening of the Batman film, "The Dark Knight Rises," in July 2012, killing 12 and wounding dozens.

Holmes' lawyers had requested that the trial be delayed in a motion made public Friday, arguing they had not had time to study the voluminous results of a second sanity exam undergone by their client.

At a trial-readiness conference on Monday, the defense said that two medical emergencies, one affecting an investigator and another a lawyer, had compounded their problems.

After conferring in private with both sides, Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour said the prosecution objected to the trial being further delayed, and that he would issue a ruling on the matter within a couple of days.
 

Defense lawyer Daniel King said his team's experts were still wading through nearly 5,000 pages of documents and more than 20 hours of video from Holmes' second court-ordered sanity exam. And there was more to come, King said, adding he doubted that the prosecutions' experts were finished either.

Public defenders concede Holmes, a former neuroscience graduate student, was the only gunman involved in the incident, but say he was suffering a psychotic episode at the time. Prosecutors have said they would seek the death penalty for Holmes if he is convicted.

The trial of the California native has already been delayed several times, primarily because of the two mental examinations he was ordered to undergo after invoking the insanity defense.

The judge has previously told both sides to be ready to present their opening statements in late May or early June.
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« Reply #216 on: March 16, 2015, 05:49:34 PM »

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/james-holmes-theater-shooting-case-defense-seeks-move-trial-n324516
James Holmes Theater Shooting Case: Defense Seeks to Move Trial
March 16, 2015

Lawyers for James Holmes have again asked a Colorado judge to move his murder trial in the 2012 Aurora theater killings, not only saying potential jurors have already made up their minds but also accusing the news media of poisoning the well with false stories.

Holmes, 27, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to multiple counts of murder and attempted murder after 12 people were killed and 70 others were injured in the July 2012 massacre at an Aurora movie theater during a screening of "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises."

Defense attorneys said in a 20-page motion filed Friday in Arapahoe County district court that surveys of 3,500 potential jurors showed that 68 percent believe Holmes is guilty — and that half of those respondents said their minds couldn't be changed. They blamed "voluminous and intensive" coverage of the case, singling out what they called false reports that they had faked medical emergencies to postpone the trial.
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« Reply #217 on: April 13, 2015, 12:02:18 PM »

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/aurora-movie-theater-shooting-trial-final-juror-cuts-underway-n340686
Aurora Movie Theater Shooting Trial: Final Juror Cuts Underway
April 13, 2015

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« Reply #218 on: June 01, 2015, 06:42:33 PM »

   Beyond evil.

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/crime/article/Psychiatrist-Child-s-death-saddens-Colorado-6299329.php
On video, theater shooter says deaths increased his worth
June 1, 2015

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — James Holmes believes he increased his self-worth by killing 12 people in a Colorado movie theater, but he regrets that one of the victims was a child, according to a videotaped conversation between Holmes and a psychiatrist played in court Monday.

In a flat, emotionless voice, Holmes tells psychiatrist William Reid he collected one "value unit" for each person he killed.

"I was worth 12 more people than I was before," Holmes says.

Did the wounded count? Reid asks.

"I only count fatalities," Holmes replies.
 
Defense lawyers say Holmes had severe schizophrenia, which distorted his sense of right and wrong. They want him to be committed to the state mental hospital. Prosecutors argue Holmes should be convicted and executed.

Reid concluded Holmes was legally sane at the time of the attack.

"Whatever regret he had, he makes it clear that getting the points and killing the people was worth it," Reid said Monday under questioning by District Attorney George Brauchler.

Colorado law defines insanity as the inability to tell right from wrong because of a mental disease or defect, or the inability to form the intent necessary to commit a crime because of a mental disease or defect.

On the video, Holmes tells Reid that human life has value, and by taking lives, he added to his own worth.

"Anything they would have pursued gets canceled out and given to me," he says.

Asked by Reid if that calculation still makes sense to him, Holmes replies, "Yeah."

The youngest victim of the attack was 6-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan. On the videotape, Holmes says he was remorseful and sad when he learned she was killed.

"I tried to minimize child fatalities by choosing a midnight PG-13" movie, he says. But he says he would have gone through with the attack even if he had known a child would die.

"I think I still would have carried it out," he says.

Holmes refers to the wounded as "collateral damage." He says he regrets they were hurt, but "I didn't figure the collateral damage had anything to do with me after the crime."

Other highlights from the videotape shown Monday:

— Holmes says he took cellphone photos of himself and his weapons before the attack "to be remembered."

— Holmes says he wore body armor and carried first aid equipment and tire spikes in case police shot at him and they followed him in his car.

"I wanted to be protected in case it came to a shootout between the police and me," he says. Officers arrested him without a struggle just outside the theater.

— He says he wanted to look dangerous so the audience wouldn't try to subdue him. "You don't want 400 people rushing you. I guess they could easily have overwhelmed me," he says.
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« Reply #219 on: June 02, 2015, 06:10:52 PM »

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/02/us-usa-shooting-denver-idUSKBN0OI2OI20150602
Colorado theater shooter views death, life sentences as equal punishments
June 2, 2015

Colorado cinema gunman James Holmes told a psychiatrist that he views life in prison and execution as equal punishments but wants his life spared out of concern for his family, jurors in his capital murder trial heard on Tuesday.

The disclosure from the former neuroscience graduate student now on trial for opening fire in a Denver-area cinema came during a videotaped interview session conducted last year by court-appointed psychiatrist William Reid that was shown in court.

Holmes, 27, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to fatally shooting 12 moviegoers and wounding dozens more during a shooting rampage at a midnight screening of the Batman film “The Dark Knight Rises” in July 2012.

Prosecutors have charged Holmes with multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder, and have said they will seek the death penalty for the California native if he is convicted.

Asked by the psychiatrist how he felt about facing possible execution, Holmes said during the session that before he was arrested, he thought capital punishment would be worse than a life sentence but now sees them as equal.

But he added that he wants his defense lawyers to fight against execution because his family still supports him.
 
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