Jury in case over Batman movie-theater slayings quickly decides not to rule out death penalty
It took little time for the jury who convicted James Holmes last month of killing 12 people and injuring 70 more during a 2012 shooting at a Batman movie screening to take the next step toward imposing the death penalty.
On Monday, the Colorado jury found that mitigating factors did not outweigh aggravating factors for the charges, leaving the death penalty on the table, CNN reports. The defense had argued that the 27-year-old onetime neuroscience doctoral student’s diagnosed schizophrenia should weigh against imposition of the death penalty.
Deliberations on this segment of the sentencing phase began Thursday, and the swift resolution of the issue may not bode well for Holmes, trial lawyer and legal analyst Scott Robinson told the Denver Post.
“The writing’s on the wall, and the writing says death,” he predicted.
However, it is possible that victims or surviving family members who oppose the death penalty could sway one or more jurors to impose a life prison term instead.
The third and final segment of the sentencing phase will focus on victim impact testimony.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Jury finds James Holmes eligible for death penalty in Batman movie-theater massacre”
CNN: “James Holmes’ life story didn’t sway jury”
