James Holmes June - H 2013
AP Photo/The Denver Post, Andy Cross, Pool, FileThe trial for James Holmes, the man charged with shooting up a movie theater during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, has been set for Oct. 14.
Holmes, 26, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and weapons possession, stemming from the July 20 massacre that killed 12 people and injured 70 more at the Aurora, Colo., movie theater.
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On Thursday, Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour announced the date when over 6,000 prospective jurors — one of the largest jury calls in U.S. history — will be called for the first phase of selection. However, picking the jury could take months, reported the Denver Post, and the trial might not commence until 2015.
Defense attorneys may delay the trial even further in asking the judge to reconsider a recent order that Holmes undergo a second psychiatric examination. If he upholds the decision, they plan to appeal to the state Supreme Court, said attorney Tamara Brady.
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Prosecutor Rich Orman said theater victims were disappointed with the slow pace of the proceedings. “I think, to a person, they would have preferred the trial to start a long time ago,” said Orman, according to the Denver Post.
However Samour stated: “I have to make sure things are done right. I’m not going to allow things to be rushed.”
The prosecution is seeking the death penalty.
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