Colorado theater shooter sentenced

Judge Samour formally sentenced Holmes to life in prison without parole for the murders of 12 people.

A judge on Wednesday sentenced the Aurora theater shooter to life in prison without parole plus 3,318 consecutive years, ending a three-year saga that began when James Holmes walked into a darkened auditorium on a hot July night and opened fire. He is not eligible for parole.

Before sentencing Holmes, Samour tried to reassure victims who were upset at the lack of a death penalty that Holmes’ punishment would still be severe. Though the jury rejected Holmes’ plea of insanity and returned a guilty verdict, they were not unanimous – 11-1, in favor – about a death sentence.

Samour also said, “In the end, what the defendant did is unacceptable”. “He decided if he was quitting, he was going to take people with him”.

After two days of often tearful and sometimes angry testimony from victims, District Attorney George Brauchler had called on Tuesday for Holmes to be given every day of the longest possible sentence.

“It is nearly impossible to comprehend how a human being is capable of such acts”, the judge said.

Tom Teves, father of the murdered Alex Teves, 24, who was shot in the head by a Holmes bullet, also pointed the finger at the defense team, “who defended a coward and are themselves cowards”. But it could not unanimously agree on the death penalty, meaning Holmes automatically was sentenced to life in prison.

“By having the case completed with no appeals, it means the victims don’t have to be continuously hearing about the case or proceedings for the next decade or decades to come”, Samour said.

Death sentences are rare in Colorado.

Lonnie and Sandy Phillips, whose daughter Jessica Ghawi was killed in the shooting, said the trial didn’t answer all their questions about Holmes’ mental state and motivation. She said his mental illness and medications make it hard for him to express it. “We can only listen to everything you have expressed, and we pray for you”, said Arlene Holmes.

Samour also noted that there was a fork in the road at which Holmes could have turned back, but didn’t.

“We will never know what they would have accomplished”.

“We tend to like simple answers, but maybe it’s not so simple”, Samour said. “The defendant robbed not only the family members and friends of these victims, he robbed the world of all these deceased victims would have accomplished”.