Movie theater shooter James Holmes gets 12 life sentences plus another 3318

The 27-year-old former neuroscience graduate student was given life in prison without parole for the murders of 12 people, as well as 3,200 additional years for attempted murder and explosives convictions. Armed with a shotgun, a rifle and a pistol, he opened fire on July 20, 2012; he had more than 700 rounds of ammunition with him.

Colorado cinema gunman James Holmes has been formally sentenced to life in prison for the killing of 12 people in the 2012 Aurora shooting massacre.

And the judge praised the victims, who he said had shown tremendous courage and grit even though some of whom were disappointed that Holmes would not be executed.

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

“If I were in charge, I’d say, this guy has to finish his Ph.D. and do something good for humanity or his death sentence will be reconsidered”.

When another victim suggested a juror opposed to Holmes’ execution must have concealed an anti-death penalty stance during the selection process, the judge rejected the allegation and said there was no evidence anyone on the panel had been “deceptive or did anything improper”. The jury could not agree on the death penalty, so he received 12 life sentences. Testimony from survivors painted a heart-rending picture of an evening filled with terror as Holmes, his hair dyed orange, tossed a tear gas canister toward the exits and then began shooting terrified movie goers. They talked of flashbacks and nightmares, of relentless survivor’s guilt and enduring physical pain. The defendant’s mother, Arlene Holmes, also spoke to the court on Tuesday, claiming that her son expressed regret over his crimes “but his ability to express his emotions with his face or verbally has been impaired by disease and medication”.

Samour Jr. announced the sentence at a hearing Wednesday, ending a grueling, emotional trial that had stretched out for much of this year. “And maybe that’s because we’re not where we need to be in the fields of psychiatry and psychology”. She said the trial has become her life and she doesn’t know what moving forward will be like.

Samour also said, “In the end, what the defendant did is unacceptable”. That was when he was outside the theater and tried to call his therapist.

“We tend to like simple answers, but maybe it’s not so simple”, Mr Samour said.

Victims told of friendships shattered and marriages broken.