life in prison for james holmes

[fizzgig]

CENTENNIAL — James Holmes will spend the rest of his life in a prison cell instead of dying in an execution chamber, jurors in the Aurora movie theater shooting trial decided Friday.

After deliberating for less than seven hours over two days, the jury of nine women and three men failed to unanimously agree that death is the appropriate punishment. The disagreement means Judge Carlos Samour Jr. will sentence Holmes to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of 12 people at the Century Aurora 16 theater three years ago. The shooting occurred during the midnight premiere of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises."

Arlene Holmes, the gunman's mother, stood when the judge asked her son to rise for the reading of the verdicts. Her husband wrapped his arm around her and squeezed. When the judge read the first verdict, all of Arlene Holmes' weight fell into her husband, and she wept.

Across the aisle, families bowed their heads and sobbed. A man jumped out of his seat, crawled over fellow victims and dashed out the courtroom door before the judge reached the third verdict.

http://www.denverpost.com/theater-shooting-trial/ci_28601756/aurora-theater-shooting-jurors-begin-watching-gory-video

i seriously did not expect the dp and, even if that's what he got, we pretty much have a de facto moratorium here (only three people on death row).

i cannot, and do not want to, fathom the pain all parties involved are feeling, but that does not change my feelings on the dp.

[udbcrzy2]

1. The jury didn't all agree

I heard that 9 were in favor of the death penalty, 1 was adamantly against it and 2 were on the fence. One of the victim's family speaking to the media said that he will still be able to visit with his family and have girlfriends. I was really expecting him to receive a death sentence at least for some of the murders.