Theater shooting trial day 53: Start of the penalty process

Day 53 in the Aurora movie theater shooting trial – People vs. James Eagan Holmes. Today, the penalty phase of the case begins. The jury found Holmes to be legally sane and therefore guilty when he went into the midnight premiere of the Dark Knight Rises in an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater and opened fire on the audience, killing 12 and wounding 70.

3rd & 7 37yd

What is that they are splitting buck shots instead of hair?

by Humble Pride 7/22/2015 4:36:57 PM
My problem with that peps, is that is exactly what he wants and has stated such. That's why he did this in the way he did: so that he would get solitary or maximum security so he wouldn't have to be around other people and would have a bed and 3 meals a day. This is what he said he wanted.

by Tammy Garrison 7/22/2015 4:37:04 PM
I wish there was a thumbs down button for the comments...

by Loz 7/22/2015 4:37:12 PM
I am pretty sure there is not precedence in how you present a slideshow presentation in a DP case. This case is setting it and future judges will take Samour's advise about having them completed two days before hand so all can review . . .

by Just Thinkin 7/22/2015 4:37:15 PM
maybe it's just that the PT is so good...LOL

by AM 7/22/2015 4:37:17 PM
Let the punishment fit the crime.

by Mark 7/22/2015 4:37:24 PM
@Tammy: Ya didn't miss anything; lasted a few hours about instructions. The BIG takeaway was JH's demeanor. He was reading a paper, hand on his face, leaning over, it was pretty telling. Con artist!!

by Kristle 7/22/2015 4:37:34 PM
@Tammy, yeah, they only did a half day yesterday.

by Kels 7/22/2015 4:37:36 PM
Why does the prosecutor sounds like Robert Downey Jr!??

by Gabriel Juarez 7/22/2015 4:37:38 PM
Killing zone: The area of a military engagement with a high concentration of fatalities.

by NT8 7/22/2015 4:37:41 PM
he killed them, they are the facts..

by justawhiteguy 7/22/2015 4:37:43 PM
OKX: I am glad that you are here. I haven't commented because I know the commenters here are not receptive to my point of view. This procedure has made me physically ill. It's bigger than James Holmes. To me, it's about our inadequate mental illness care and consequently the 20% of prison population who are severely mentally ill. This board has rejected the idea that Mr. Holmes is mentally ill although at least a half-dozen psychiatrists have diagnosed him with some form of schizophrenia.

by LorettaOstmann 7/22/2015 4:37:51 PM
@peps curious to why you think DP needs to be stopped nation wide? I sure dont think people who take peoples lives in a horrible fashion (like this and the boston bombing) should be guaranteed they get to live the rest of their life, albeit never being free, they are still living. its that kind of reasoning that our justice system is a joke in this country.

by JG 7/22/2015 4:37:56 PM
blue--that is always true, but still can't see it

by okx 7/22/2015 4:37:58 PM
Gas mask, body armor, military grade The area of a military engagement with a high concentration of fatalities.

by NT8 7/22/2015 4:38:00 PM
He is not insane, that part is over, He was found guilty. Like the people in the theater, he should fear the fact that every day might be his last. But IMO I think putting him in General Pop in prison would be faster for death. !

by happy 7/22/2015 4:38:05 PM
blue, you mean "of" is incorrect. yep.

by okx 7/22/2015 4:38:09 PM
Noticing there are lots of new names on the thread again- just like the other day...all seem to have similar opinions about JH deserving respect. etc. Interesting...

by fascinated 7/22/2015 4:43:37 PM
I have a difficult time referring to 'that guy' as Mr. Holmes - as someone else noted it's a sign of respect and I have no respect for him. And he's no longer a defendant in the sense that he's found guilty. I'm thinking 'that muderer' is most appropriate. Ms Brady might have been happier with 'that guy'.

by Edy 7/22/2015 4:43:48 PM
Loretta, I haven't heard anyone deny that he is mentally ill, but have argued that he is not legally insane.

by Tammy Garrison 7/22/2015 4:43:50 PM
if only the word obnoxious had a k in it...

by Loz 7/22/2015 4:44:08 PM
@NT8--I used ot love the killing zone....Just Rules of Engagement...I dare ya....

by Tired 7/22/2015 4:44:13 PM
@okx: The difference in the opinions by dr.s mainly goes to the point that DT dr.s were PAID & very biased, PT experts were COURT APPOINTED, NOT on "the side"of PT. The credibility span there is pretty broad. The DT docs even worked with some of these same DT lawyers on prior cases...I'd consider their opinions biased versus court appointed forensic psychiatrists...

by fascinated 7/22/2015 4:44:15 PM
I agree about doing away with the death penalty. I think killing to show that killing is wrong is madness. The death penalty is used as a form of vengeance, and that is not the purpose of the criminal justice system in this country. I think we are generally moving in that direction already.

by Angela Freeman 7/22/2015 4:44:19 PM
@Loretta, at what point has anyone denied the defendant's mental illness?

by Molly 7/22/2015 4:44:22 PM
DT wants to control how the PT presents their case -- again

by mandi 7/22/2015 4:44:24 PM
- Judge's Order
Judge Samour: Objection to use of all slides is overruled.

by anica.padilla 7/22/2015 4:44:58 PM
- Quote
"I actually like the color," Judge Samour says of the slides.

by anica.padilla 7/22/2015 4:45:37 PM
JustThinkin- Yes, there is. Also, it's not about the process of a PowerPoint. It's the content of the PowerPoint and there is absolutely case law covering what content can be argued during the sentencing phase of a death penalty trial.

by CSP 7/22/2015 4:52:15 PM
Juries across the U.S. continue to hand down death sentences, and prosecutors continue to seek them. But the effective moratorium in Colorado — no capital punishment can be carried out unless the governor signs the death warrant — is part of a political retreat that is gaining momentum. The number of U.S. executions has dropped dramatically since 1999, along with the number of death sentences handed down by juries. Governors in four states, including Hickenlooper, have declared that they will not sign death warrants during their terms, citing the uneven way the punishment is carried out. This year, for the first time since these policies were adopted in Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Pennsylvania, major capital trials are taking place in two of those states that are testing juries' willingness to carry out the ultimate punishment.

by LG 7/22/2015 4:52:21 PM
@Happy Right on! GP would be quicker! and cheaper!

by NT8 7/22/2015 4:52:36 PM
lol

by PenizDpg420XDD 7/22/2015 4:53:21 PM
It's the double name game in the chat room again.....@Fascinated

by LG 7/22/2015 4:53:23 PM
xD

by PenizDpg420XDD 7/22/2015 4:53:26 PM
ahh dang nabbit, just before her hilarious "That Guy" statement

by JG 7/22/2015 4:53:28 PM
how come nobody is having trouble or stuttering but the girl?

by Anonymous 7/22/2015 4:53:32 PM
Thank You Judge!

by Robin 7/22/2015 4:53:35 PM
No proof this was intentional? B.S.

by Kate 7/22/2015 4:53:37 PM
Wow! All objections are overruled...love it!

by TammyC 7/22/2015 4:53:39 PM
@Molly I agree several of us have said he has a mental illness but don't believe he's insane... big difference in my book!!

by LG 7/22/2015 4:53:41 PM
Molly, That is my understanding of all the comments regarding his behavior in court. And that, he was not ill because he planned so thoroughly, etc.

by LorettaOstmann 7/22/2015 4:53:43 PM
@ Anica, anybody on your team get a total count of objections on this?

by NT8 7/22/2015 4:53:45 PM
Loretta Otts-a jury of twelve of his peers (*ironically the same number of people he killed) REJECTED his not guilty by INSANITY plea. They went through the proper channels. He didn't even TRY NGRI until death was on the table. He admitted to sanity first, & pled guilty. He is GUILTY, now decided by 12 jurors. The psychs that were CREDIBLE (I.E. NOT paid experts for defense) found him SANE when he committed mass murder.

by fascinated 7/22/2015 4:53:55 PM
Please tell me I missed something. They are arguing about font color and size?

by litprof 7/22/2015 4:53:57 PM
happy for death. Not insane, by a jury. Yes, over with JH for the time being. If we all lived by the law of jury without challenge and changing we would really be in trouble. Think of all the millions in history killed by jurors and judges for their own grandiose sense of self and riches. This is a huge trial for every person who in the present or future might become insane or severely mentally ill. It is ignorant to not look at what the trial was about. Why am I hearing donald trump saying "kill" over and over.

by oxk 7/22/2015 4:54:00 PM