CENTENNIAL, Colo., (Reu-ters) – Colorado movie massacre gunman James Holmes was found guilty yesterday of multiple counts of first degree murder, a verdict that enables prosecutors to seek the death penalty for the former graduate student who killed 12 people and wounded 70 at a midnight premiere of a Batman film in 2012.
After a three-month trial in which hundreds of witnesses testified and thousands of pieces of evidence were presented, jurors deliberated for about a day and a half, then found Holmes guilty on all 165 counts against him. The panel of nine women and three men rejected the defense’s claim that he was legally insane. Before the jury was called in at around 4:00 p.m. local time (1800 EDT), Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour warned the packed public gallery to refrain from emotional outbursts. In a hushed courtroom, he began reading the guilty verdicts and did not finish until more than an hour later. Families of the victims who were in court smiled as one guilty verdict after another was read, clasping hands and clapping each other on the back.
Holmes showed no reaction. Wearing a blue, long-sleeved shirt and tan slacks, and tethered to the floor, he stood beside his court-appointed attorneys, looking straight ahead with his hands in his pockets.
Outside, Jansen Young, whose 26-year-old boyfriend Jonathan Blunk was killed in the theater, told reporters, “I felt so much relief. I just felt closure.” Young said she was pushing for Holmes to get the death penalty.
Monday is the third anniversary of the massacre, and some people hailed the verdict on social media, many using the Twitter hashtag #AuroraStrong.
“My community and I can breathe a little more easily now,” said one message.
