Colorado Theater Shooting Case Goes to Jury
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VladimirCetinski/iStock/Thinkstock(CENTENNIAL, Colo.) — Jurors will begin deliberating Wednesday morning to decide if James Holmes is guilty, or not guilty by reason of insanity.
Prosecution and defense attorneys wrapped up closing statements on Tuesday in the Aurora, Colorado theater shooting trial.
District Attorney George Bracuchler told jurors on Tuesday it’s clear James Holmes knew right from wrong when he carried out the attack during the premier of The Dark Knight Rises on July 20, 2012, saying that Holmes is sane.
He also reminded the jury about 6-year-old Veronica Moser Sullivan, who was shot and killed in her seat.
“That guy was sane and he needs to be held accountable for what he did,” Bracuchler said during closing arguments.
Defense attorneys however argued that Holmes was insane when he carried out the attack. Public defender Dan King said the evidence is clear that Holmes had no way of stopping himself.
“The fact of the matter is that when Mr. Holmes stepped into that theater he had lost touch with reality,” he said.
King also went after Brauchler, making his closing argument personal, claiming Brauchler ignored the evidence in order to make Holmes appear guilty.
“You can’t separate the illness from him or this crime. Because the mind is the reason, the sole reason that this crime took place,” he said Tuesday.
Before closing arguments, the judge gave jury instructions and listed all 165 charges Holmes is facing while also listing the names of all of the victims.
The courtroom was full of survivors and victims’ families who sobbed as he read the names.
If jurors decide Homes was insane, he will immediately go to a mental hospital. If they decide he was sane, then the penalty phase of the trial will begin, which could include the death penalty.
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