James Holmes gets life imprisonment for 2012 Colorado theatre massacre

Colorado gunman James Holmes has been sentenced to life imprisonment for killing dozens of people and injuring more than 70 at an Aurora movie theatre during a midnight showing of a Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" in 2012. The families of the victims remain unsatisfied with the verdict.

On Friday, the jury deciding on the sentencing failed to reach a unanimous decision that resulted in his imprisonment without possibility of parole instead of the death penalty. Holmes, who is also found convicted on the charges of 24 counts of first degree murder, didn’t plead guilty to the charges in the 2012 movie massacre.

Before reading out the verdict, which took almost seven hours to be decided, Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour warned everyone in the gallery not to create an emotional fuss in court.

On hearing the verdict, Holmes was calm and reaction less, with hands in pockets, reports Reuters. The jury already convicted him on all charges from the July 20, 2012 mass shooting.

Prosecutors pushed that Holmes had planned to attack more than 400 in the theatre shooting but due to the jamming of the drum magazine he bought to boost his firepower, he failed to proceed with his plan.

During the trial, almost 306 witnesses testified him as the gunman and the investigation team had retrieved as many as 2,700 pieces of evidence against him. Witnesses spoke on their horrific experience and how they tried to save themselves from his bullets at the theatre.

Holmes' lawyer Tamara Brady tried convincing the jurors not to sign the death warrant for a person who suffered from schizophrenia otherwise it would haunt them for rest of their lives. She also presented at the court that Holmes had no previous records of criminal activities.

After the verdict was announced, family members of the victims broke down emotionally, some even left the courtroom while Holmes remained expressionless. Outside the court, Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler said the he was not satisfied with the verdict but respected the system which put up a commendable work. “I still think death is justice for what that guy did but the system said otherwise,” he added.

The official sentencing is expected to be held on August 24-26.

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