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Aurora Shooting Suspect James Holmes Will Face Death Penalty

Michael Juliani |
April 1, 2013 | 8:26 a.m. PDT

Executive Producer

Holmes at his original court appearance. (Flickr Creative Commons)
Holmes at his original court appearance. (Flickr Creative Commons)

James Holmes, the alleged shooter in the Aurora, Colo., movie theater killings last year, will face the death penalty as prosecutors rejected a plea offer from Holmes in court Monday, according to the Associated Press.

Last week, Holmes' attorneys said Holmes would plead guilty if he could avoid capital punishment, but prosecutors said it wasn't a serious attempt at a plea bargain.

"Even if they give notice on Monday that they are seeking the death penalty, they can come off that and enter into a plea bargain any time," said attorney Dan Recht, a past president of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, quoted by the AP.

A judge gave a not guilty plea on behalf of Holmes last month, and Holmes' attorneys will probably argue that he was legally insane when he killed 12 people and injured 70 in July 2012.

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage of James Holmes here.

Reach Executive Producer Michael Juliani here.



 

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