Shooter James Holmes gets 12 life terms plus 3,318 years in Batman movie massacre
Saying that James Holmes “quit on life” and has himself as well as his mental illness to blame for a movie-theater massacre that left 12 dead and 70 more wounded, a Colorado judge on Wednesday gave him the maximum.
In addition to 12 consecutive life terms, Judge Carlos Samour Jr. imposed another 3,318 years, also consecutive, the Denver Post reports.
Convicted last month of 165 counts including murder, attempted murder and explosives charges, the onetime neuroscience doctoral student showed no reaction as the judge spoke for nearly an hour. Holmes, a diagnosed schizophrenic, was saved from the death penalty by a holdout juror.
Prosecutors said his sentence is the longest ever imposed in Colorado, USA Today reports.
Prior to his July 2012 shooting spree at a midnight premiere of the Batman move The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, Holmes was angry about a breakup with his girlfriend and problems at school, so he gave up and isolated himself, the judge said. “Eventually, the defendant quit on life.
“Had he just quit on life, it would have affected him and him alone. Perhaps his parents. Perhaps his family … and that would have been the end of it,” Samour continued. “But he didn’t just quit. He decided since he was quitting, he was going to take people with him.”
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Holdout juror blocks death penalty for James Holmes”
