Aurora Theater Shooter James Holmes Found Guilty of Murder

They must now decide whether Holmes should be executed or sent to prison for life without the possibility of parole.

The same jury that found James Holmes guilty will now decide if he will be sentenced to death.

Holmes, 27, who had been charged with 166 counts, had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. He just stood there looking straight ahead with his hands in his pockets the whole time. He faced a total of 165 charges.

James Holmes was found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder by a jury in the 2012 Aurora theater massacre largely thanks to hours of recorded discussions between Holmes and a court-appointed psychiatrist.

When the judge read the first guilty verdict, family members let out an audible sigh. As the courtroom quieted down, he began reading the guilty verdicts, one after another, reports MSN News.

Sandy Phillips, Ghawi’s mother, later cheered the verdict, saying: “We are very happy that this animal, that this monster, will never see the light of day”.

“I felt so much relief and closure”, said Ms Jansen Young, quoted by the Denver Post. “This is a huge step forward today”.

The trial had been pushed back multiple times by delays, including arguments over evaluations of Holmes’ sanity, before jury selection finally began in January.

On Wednesday, they will hear what is expected to be a month’s worth of testimony over whether Holmes deserves the death penalty. The same jury will deliberate during that phase.

King told the court psychosis had obscured Holmes’ ability to think about things the way a rational person does.

Prosecutors argued that Holmes knew exactly what he was doing when he methodically gunned down strangers in the stadium-style theater, taking aim at those who fled. Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler, lowered his face into his hands at the conviction, seemingly glad to have this nearly three-year trial over and done with. “Reject this claim that he didn’t know right from wrong when he murdered those people and tried to kill the others….”

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Holmes meticulously planned the crime, insisting that he was sane and that he should be held responsible for the bloodshed. He then walked out through a rear door, which he left propped open.

Holmes bought a ticket for the screening at Aurora’s Century 16 multiplex before slipping out to his vehicle behind the building and changing into what prosecutors called a “kill suit” of ballistic helmet, gas mask, and head to toe body armor. Before opening fire on his victims, he released tear gas into the theater.

The prosecution also brought 69 of the 70 injured victims to testify, many of whom described the horror of being trapped in the theater, as well as heartbreaking stories of friends and relatives who were killed. The other slain victims were Alexander Boik, Jesse Childress, Gordon Cowden, John Thomas Larimer, Matthew McQuinn, Alex Sullivan, Alexander Teves, Rebecca Ann Wingo, Medek, and 6-tear-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan, the youngest.

The defence team could call witnesses including more mental health professionals, and possibly even Holmes’ parents, Arlene and Bob, who have attended court for most of the trial. They have not talked to reporters. But Holmes also said he wore headphones blasting electronic music to drown out the screams of his victims, the AP said. Though they can certainly contribute one’s social view of the world. They recalled the panic to escape the black-clad gunman.