Man convicted in US movie-theater massacre sentenced to life in prison

“Get the defendant out of my courtroom, please.”

The gallery crowd applauded at the judge’s remark.

Defense lawyers say they have no plans to appeal, and the judge said that meant they had “truly completed” the trial in a surprisingly short period of just over three years. Prosecutors have said the jury was divided on the sentence, with 11 favouring death and one favouring life without parole.

“If there was ever a case that warranted the maximum sentences, this is the case”.

John Gerhauser, whose friend Jonathan Blunnk was killed, called on Holmes, a once-promising neuroscience graduate student, to make something of his life in prison that could help prevent future attacks.

According to the Denver Post, Samour spoke almost an hour about the justice system before announcing the sentencing on the 165 counts Holmes faced.

Some survivors complained that Holmes will serve life in prison instead of being executed.

Wearing a helmet, gas mask and ballistic gear, Holmes tossed tear gas into Theater 9 of the Century 16 megaplex in Aurora during the first minutes of the midnight show of “The Dark Knight Rises“.

During the sentencing, Samour said the case was not completely about mental illness and evidence revealed Holmes was angry, upset about his breakup with his girlfriend and struggling in school.

By that time, he was well into planning the attack and stockpiling ammunition.

Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. on Wednesday condemned Holmes’ “unthinkable” crimes.

The judge said people could focus on the free food and medical care Holmes will receive.

Samour also said, “In the end, what the defendant did is unacceptable”.

Samour, who was scrupulously respectful toward Holmes throughout the trial, launched into a withering condemnation of him as someone who knew right from wrong but “robbed the world of all the good these victims would have accomplished” and irreparably damaged the lives of hundreds more.

After a months-long murder trial, James Holmes has been sentenced.

Earlier, Samour had noted that some people bemoaned that the gunman would luxuriate in prison.

He is not going to a “four-star hotel”, he said.

The total of 3,318 years, in addition to the 12 life sentences, is the maximum sentence allowed under Colorado law.

The best moment of the sentencing day was Samour’s dismissal of Holmes.

But the judge giving him his final sentence Wednesday had to read that possibility anyway.

At least 100 victims and witnesses are expected to testify.

The judge also took time to praise victims’ relatives and survivors of the shooting for displaying “courage” during what has been a more than three-year ordeal.