Colorado movie theater massacre gunman found guilty

Many noted Holmes was dressed in a ballistic helmet, gas mask, vest and other heavy duty armour gear as if he were a member of the SWAT team.

They’ll return to court to begin the sentencing phase of the trial Wednesday, two days after the third anniversary of the attack.

It was apparent throughout the trial that the jurors were focused on the testimony of psychiatrists and asking a lot of questions.

Century Aurora 16 movie theateris pictured in Colorado April 27, 2015.

Jurors must now decide whether the murderer should be put to death or serve a mandatory life sentence with no possibility of parole, in a process expected to last until late August. “It’s obvious he has mental issues, but nothing that approached insanity”.

When the lead jury man started reading the verdict finding Holmes guilty on all counts, he did not finish reading the 164 counts of until one hour later. He just stood there looking straight ahead with his hands in his pockets the whole time.

Before the jury read the verdict, Samour warned the courtroom gallery against emotional outbursts.

The attack was the deadliest shooting in Colorado since the 1999 Columbine High School attacks.

The monstrosity of the shooting in Aurora is remembered as one of the worst mass shootings in American history.

The verdict means the 27-year-old former neuroscience graduate student could get the death penalty for the 2012 shooting.

Holmes faced two counts of first-degree murder for each of the 12 victims.

Sullivan nodded his head as the verdict was read Thursday.

He said he felt “relief” and that he wanted “it over with”.

After the 10-week trial, it took the jury approximately 12 hours in deliberations to convict Holmes.

The prosecution also said the elaborate maze of explosives Holmes rigged throughout his apartment to stall police during the shooting showed that he understand his actions had consequences. After the final count was read, Arlene Holmes buried her face in her husband’s shoulder.

Holmes will stay in the Arapahoe County Jail until the sentencing hearing is over.

The trial offered a rare glimpse into the mind of a mass shooter. Facing a total of 165 charges, he had previously pleaded not guilty on grounds of insanity. The prosecutors argued that Holmes was very well aware of what he was doing when he killed strangers in the stadium-style theater. Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper granted a temporary reprieve to one of those inmates in 2013, citing his concerns with the death penalty – a decision that came back to haunt him in the 2014 election, where he was ultimately reelected.

Twelve people were killed and 70 others injured as a result. Her mother suffered a miscarriage following her injuries and has been left paralysed.

Holmes’ defence did not contest that he lobbed smoke bomb-type devices into the cinema and randomly fired weapons including an AR-15 military-style rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and a. 40 caliber pistol.