Jurors convicted James Holmes in the 2012 attack on a movie theater that left 12 people dead and dozens wounded. They must now decide whether he should be executed or sentenced to life in prison.
Reported by NPR 10 hours ago.
Aurora, Colo., Theater Shooter Found Guilty Of First-Degree Murder
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Since Aurora theater shooting: 387 dead in mass killings
Fifteen mass killings so far in 2015 have claimed the lives of 74 people
Reported by Delawareonline 4 hours ago.
Reported by Delawareonline 4 hours ago.
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What's Next for James Holmes After Guilty Verdict
James Holmes was convicted of murder Thursday in the Aurora massacre.
Reported by ABCNews.com 9 hours ago.
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Watch Live: Verdict in Aurora Movie Theater Shooting Trial
The jury has reached a verdict in the trial of James Holmes, who is accused of shooting 12 people dead and injuring 58 during a midnight screening of the Batman movie 'The Dark Knight Rises' in Aurora, Colo., on 20, July, 2012.
Reported by msnbc.com 9 hours ago.
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6 Things to Know About Aurora Movie Theater Shooter James Holmes
Reported by TIME 9 hours ago.
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Aurora Theater Shooting Trial: Reactions to guilty verdicts
Reaction to the guilty verdicts handed down Thursday against James Holmes in the Aurora theater shooting trial.
Reported by Denver Post 9 hours ago.
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Theater shooting: Jury finds James Holmes guilty
Will James Holmes face death for killing 12 people inside an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater?
That could be the next question jurors will be asked after finding Holmes guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in the July 2012 shooting.
Holmes faced two counts of first-degree murder for each of the 12 victims. The jury found him guilty on all 24 counts.
Holmes, who had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, showed no reaction as the verdict against him was announced. He stood at the defense table with his attorney, his hands in his pockets. He faced a total of 165 charges.
The jury also found Holmes guilty of attempted murder on all of the 140 counts against him for the 70 people wounded in the shooting. Additionally, he was found guilty of one count of possession or control of an explosive or incendiary device.
The gallery in the courtroom was full of survivors of the shooting and friends and family of the victims. Before the reading, the mother of victim Jessica Ghawi was holding her daughter's green scarf up to her eyes while she waited to hear the verdict.
Jansen Young, the girlfriend of victim Jonathan Blunk, said she felt relief as the verdict was read.
"I didn't know what I would feel when I came, but I just feel so much relief. Justice is here," she told CNN affiliate KMGH. "This is a huge step forward today."
The verdict was reached in almost 12½ hours: The jury began deliberations Wednesday morning.
A sentencing phase, which is expected to last about one month, is slated to begin next Wednesday. The same jury will deliberate during that phase. In 2013, the prosecution signaled it would seek the death penalty.
By virtue of his insanity plea, the now 27-year-old Holmes had never denied he was behind the killings. But given his mental state, his lawyers argued that he should not be found culpable.
"The evidence is clear that he could not control his thoughts, ... he could not control his actions, and he could not control his perceptions," defense attorney Dan King said during closing arguments.
King told the court psychosis had obscured Holmes' ability to think about things the way a rational person does.
"Only the mental illness caused this to happen and nothing else."
'Hold this man accountable'
Prosecutors -- who called more than 200 witnesses to the stand, among them investigators, students who knew Holmes and his ex-girlfriend -- insisted the shooter knew well what he was doing. He acted deliberately to deliver pain and his mental issues shouldn't excuse him from paying the price, they argued.
"Look at the evidence, then hold this man accountable," Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler said. "Reject this claim that he didn't know right from wrong when he murdered those people and tried to kill the others. ...
"That guy was sane beyond a reasonable doubt, and he needs to be held accountable for what he did."
Having bought a ticket 12 days earlier, Holmes on July 19, 2012, walked into the theater No. 9 screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" like other patrons. He then walked out through a rear door, which he left propped open.
Just after midnight, some 18 minutes after the movie began, he returned wearing a ballistic helmet, a gas mask, black gloves and protective gear for his legs, throat and groin.
A tear gas canister exploded in the theater, then gunfire erupted from an AR-15 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and at least one .40 caliber handgun. The shooting stopped with Holmes' arrest outside the theater about seven minutes after the first 911 calls were made to police.
But it wasn't in time to save the lives of Jonathan Blunk, Alexander Boik, Jesse Childress, Gordon Cowden, Jessica Ghawi, John Thomas Larimer, Matthew McQuinn, Alex Sullivan, Alexander Teves, Rebecca Ann Wingo, Medek, and the youngest victim, Moser-Sullivan.
'Not a monster'
The shooter's parents, Robert and Arlene Holmes, were regulars in court during their son's trial. They have not talked to reporters. But they have written two open letters and published a prayer book detailing the family's internal struggle and pleading for their son's life.
In a December 2014 letter published in the Denver Post, the couple said, "We have spent every moment for more than two years thinking about those who were injured, and the families and friends of the deceased who were killed, in the theater shooting in Aurora.
"We are always praying for everyone in Aurora. We wish that July 20, 2012, never happened."
Still, while they don't deny James Holmes was behind the carnage, the parents said they didn't think he should have been put on trial, much less be convicted and possibly face the death penalty, given his mental state.
"(James Holmes) is not a monster. He is a human being gripped by a severe mental illness," his parents wrote. "We believe that the death penalty is morally wrong, especially when the condemned is mentally ill." Reported by Click Orlando 9 hours ago.
That could be the next question jurors will be asked after finding Holmes guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in the July 2012 shooting.
Holmes faced two counts of first-degree murder for each of the 12 victims. The jury found him guilty on all 24 counts.
Holmes, who had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, showed no reaction as the verdict against him was announced. He stood at the defense table with his attorney, his hands in his pockets. He faced a total of 165 charges.
The jury also found Holmes guilty of attempted murder on all of the 140 counts against him for the 70 people wounded in the shooting. Additionally, he was found guilty of one count of possession or control of an explosive or incendiary device.
The gallery in the courtroom was full of survivors of the shooting and friends and family of the victims. Before the reading, the mother of victim Jessica Ghawi was holding her daughter's green scarf up to her eyes while she waited to hear the verdict.
Jansen Young, the girlfriend of victim Jonathan Blunk, said she felt relief as the verdict was read.
"I didn't know what I would feel when I came, but I just feel so much relief. Justice is here," she told CNN affiliate KMGH. "This is a huge step forward today."
The verdict was reached in almost 12½ hours: The jury began deliberations Wednesday morning.
A sentencing phase, which is expected to last about one month, is slated to begin next Wednesday. The same jury will deliberate during that phase. In 2013, the prosecution signaled it would seek the death penalty.
By virtue of his insanity plea, the now 27-year-old Holmes had never denied he was behind the killings. But given his mental state, his lawyers argued that he should not be found culpable.
"The evidence is clear that he could not control his thoughts, ... he could not control his actions, and he could not control his perceptions," defense attorney Dan King said during closing arguments.
King told the court psychosis had obscured Holmes' ability to think about things the way a rational person does.
"Only the mental illness caused this to happen and nothing else."
'Hold this man accountable'
Prosecutors -- who called more than 200 witnesses to the stand, among them investigators, students who knew Holmes and his ex-girlfriend -- insisted the shooter knew well what he was doing. He acted deliberately to deliver pain and his mental issues shouldn't excuse him from paying the price, they argued.
"Look at the evidence, then hold this man accountable," Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler said. "Reject this claim that he didn't know right from wrong when he murdered those people and tried to kill the others. ...
"That guy was sane beyond a reasonable doubt, and he needs to be held accountable for what he did."
Having bought a ticket 12 days earlier, Holmes on July 19, 2012, walked into the theater No. 9 screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" like other patrons. He then walked out through a rear door, which he left propped open.
Just after midnight, some 18 minutes after the movie began, he returned wearing a ballistic helmet, a gas mask, black gloves and protective gear for his legs, throat and groin.
A tear gas canister exploded in the theater, then gunfire erupted from an AR-15 rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and at least one .40 caliber handgun. The shooting stopped with Holmes' arrest outside the theater about seven minutes after the first 911 calls were made to police.
But it wasn't in time to save the lives of Jonathan Blunk, Alexander Boik, Jesse Childress, Gordon Cowden, Jessica Ghawi, John Thomas Larimer, Matthew McQuinn, Alex Sullivan, Alexander Teves, Rebecca Ann Wingo, Medek, and the youngest victim, Moser-Sullivan.
'Not a monster'
The shooter's parents, Robert and Arlene Holmes, were regulars in court during their son's trial. They have not talked to reporters. But they have written two open letters and published a prayer book detailing the family's internal struggle and pleading for their son's life.
In a December 2014 letter published in the Denver Post, the couple said, "We have spent every moment for more than two years thinking about those who were injured, and the families and friends of the deceased who were killed, in the theater shooting in Aurora.
"We are always praying for everyone in Aurora. We wish that July 20, 2012, never happened."
Still, while they don't deny James Holmes was behind the carnage, the parents said they didn't think he should have been put on trial, much less be convicted and possibly face the death penalty, given his mental state.
"(James Holmes) is not a monster. He is a human being gripped by a severe mental illness," his parents wrote. "We believe that the death penalty is morally wrong, especially when the condemned is mentally ill." Reported by Click Orlando 9 hours ago.
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What's next in the Aurora theater shooting case
Now that jurors have convicted James Holmes of murder in the Aurora theater shooting case, they must come back on Wednesday for the next phase of the trial to consider the death penalty.
Reported by Denver Post 9 hours ago.
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Aurora shooting gunman found guilty on multiple counts of first-degree murder – video
James Holmes is found guilty of multiple counts of first-degree murder. The former graduate student killed a dozen people and wounded 70 at a midnight premiere of a Batman film in 2012. Judge Carlos Samour took more than an hour to read all 165 guilty verdicts. The jury must now determine whether Holmes, 27, should be put to death or serve a life sentence with no possibility of parole Continue reading...
Reported by guardian.co.uk 9 hours ago.
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'Batman' massacre gunman James Holmes guilty of murder
Centennial (United States) (AFP) - A US jury found "Batman" theater gunman James Holmes guilty of first-degree murder over the 2012 massacre that left 12 dead and 70 more injured in Colorado.Judge Carlos Samour read out guilty verdicts relating to each of the 12 people killed when Holmes opened fire at a packed midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in the town of Aurora, just outside Denver.
The 27-year-old Holmes, dressed in a blue shirt and cream-colored trousers with his hands in his pockets, showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out.
The trial will now move on to the sentencing phase, in which Holmes -- who had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity -- could face the death penalty.
The jury foreman handed over a thick stack of verdict forms, representing the scale of the atrocity: in all, Holmes faced 164 charges of murder and attempted murder, as well as one count of possession of explosives.
After the 12 murder verdicts, the judge spent several minutes reading out guilty verdicts on the attempted murder charges for those injured.
Jurors were relatively quick to reach their verdicts: they only retired to deliberate Wednesday on whether Holmes -- who has been in custody since he was arrested outside the theater -- was sane when he opened fire.
- Insanity plea rejected -
Wrapping up the trial on Tuesday, prosecutor George Brauchler ran through a blow-by-blow account of the massacre, which stunned America and reignited the country's perennial debate about gun control.
Referring to the 400 people in the theater, he said: "They came in hoping to see a story of a hero dressed in black, someone who would fight insurmountable odds in the name of justice and trying to protect others.
"Instead a different figure appeared by the screen dressed all in black. And he came there with one thing in his heart and in his mind -- and that was mass murder," the prosecutor said.
But Holmes' defense lawyer Dan King insisted his client was insane, saying: "The fact of the matter is that when Mr Holmes stepped into that theater... he had lost touch with reality.
"You cannot divorce the mental illness from this case, or from Mr Holmes. The mental illness caused this to happen. Only the mental illness caused this to happen, and nothing else."
Brauchler, however, urged the court to "reject this claim that he didn't know right from wrong... That guy was sane beyond a reasonable doubt, and he needs to be held accountable for what he did."
It appears jurors did not buy the defense team's arguments.
The 49-day-long trial included weeks of grisly evidence and testimony from more than 250 witnesses. The jury also was shown hours of videotaped interviews of Holmes by psychiatrists for the state.
Both they and two defense psychiatrists agreed the defendant struggled with mental illness. The state's psychiatrists however maintained that Holmes was sane when he carried out the rampage.
The punishment phase of the trial could last the rest of the summer, Samour has said.
The prosecutor has said he will seek the death penalty.
If Holmes had been found not guilty by reason of insanity, he would have been confined to a state mental hospital.
To win a release, he would have had to be found free of mental illness and no longer a danger to himself or to others.
Join the conversation about this story » Reported by Business Insider 7 hours ago.
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James Holmes convicted in movie theater massacre
James Holmes has been found guilty of murder after shooting up a crowded theatre in Aurora, Colorado, in 2012
Reported by CBS News 8 hours ago.
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Families of Aurora Shooting Victims React to Verdict
Families who lost loved ones in the Aurora shooting react to Thursday's guilty verdict.
Reported by msnbc.com 8 hours ago.
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Aurora theater shooting victims say verdict brings relief, sadness
CENTENNIAL — Sadness. Relief. A shudder.Those were the words used Thursday by survivors of the Aurora theater shooting after a jury found the defendant guilty on 165 counts.
Reported by Denver Post 7 hours ago.
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'So Relieved': Survivors, Family React to Holmes Conviction
The dominant reaction was relief after a Colorado judge read out 165 guilty verdicts Thursday against Aurora theater gunman James Holmes.
Reported by msnbc.com 7 hours ago.
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Mental health will loom large in theater shooting death penalty debate
CENTENNIAL — The swift verdict in the Aurora theater shooting trial signaled a quick rejection of the gunman's plea of insanity.
Reported by Denver Post 7 hours ago.
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Families React to James Holmes Guilty Verdict
James Holmes was convicted of murder Thursday in the Aurora massacre.
Reported by ABCNews.com 7 hours ago.
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Jury finds Holmes guilty of Colorado theater murders
The jury weighing the fate of Aurora, Colo., gunman James Holmes on Thursday found the 27-year-old former neuroscience graduate student guilty of murder and attempted murder.
Reported by TwinCities.com 7 hours ago.
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James Holmes found guilty: Major moments in 2 minutes
After just 13 hours of deliberations, the jury in the Aurora theater shooting trial determined James Holmes is guilty of murder. Take a look back at some of the biggest moments.
Reported by USATODAY.com 6 hours ago.
Reported by USATODAY.com 6 hours ago.
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Theater shooting victims included servicemen, 6-year-old
Twelve people were killed and dozens of others were wounded while attending a midnight movie premiere July 20, 2012, at a theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora. Here's a look at those who died:
Reported by MyNorthwest.com 3 hours ago.
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Why There's Still 'Long Way to Go' in Aurora Trial
The Aurora movie theater trial enters a new phase as the jury decides whether James Holmes should die for his crimes.
Reported by msnbc.com 3 minutes ago.
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