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Summary: James Holmes, the man behind the deadly Aurora, Colorado theater massacre, may still face the death penalty, the jury has decided.
The jury has decided whether the death penalty remains on the table for the man behind the “Dark Knight” movie massacre, James Holmes. NBC News adds that the jury has decided to keep the death penalty as an option.
Last year, Holmes’ parents asked for his life to be spared.
Jurors have rejected arguments that Holmes was insane at the time of the shootings. Defense attorneys encouraged the jury to consider mental illness as they discussed Holmes’ fate. According to CNN, the defense argued that Holmes’ schizophrenia impacted his actions.
Loading ...The decision means that the jurors have unanimously found that the mitigating circumstances presented by the defense did not outweigh the aggravating factors the prosecution presenting during Phase 1. Now, the jury will continue to Phase 3, and will decide whether Holmes will receive the death penalty or life in prison.
In 2012, Holmes was charged with 142 counts.
The prosecution rejected arguments that Holmes was a troubled man, who had no control over his actions. District Attorney George Brauchler said, “He made a decision to massacre, and he did; 12 dead from the community. Can anything outweigh that? No.”
Brauchler
The jury began deliberating Thursday, and then broke for the weekend. On Monday, they resumed their deliberations, and sent a note to the judge at 11:55 a.m. that a verdict had been reached.
The trial verdict was announced earlier this month.
Twelve people died and another 70 were injured when Holmes opened fire at the theater in Aurora, Colorado in 2012.
Source: Fox News
Photo credit: fameimages.com, denverpost.com (Brauchler)
