Holdout juror blocks death penalty for James Holmes
A holdout juror blocked the death penalty for convicted movie theater shooter James Holmes, according to a lawyer who served on the Colorado jury.
The lawyer, who refused to give her name, said one juror was a solid holdout because of evidence of Holmes’ mental illness, and two were undecided, the Denver Post reports. The juror, identified as juror No. 17, is a real-estate contract attorney, the Denver Post reports in another story.
As a result of the jury’s decision, Judge Carols Samour Jr. will sentence Holmes to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Holmes killed 12 people and wounded at least 70 others in the July 2012 shootings during a showing of the latest Batman movie in Aurora, Colorado.
The death penalty decision was part of a three-part process. Jurors first decided that Holmes was eligible for the death penalty. In a second phase, jurors decided that mitigating factors, including Holmes’ mental illness, didn’t outweigh aggravating factors. The decision against the death penalty on Friday completed the third phase.
Juror No. 17 said the experience was life-changing for all involved. “I think some of the jurors, it’s much, much more difficult than others. Just typical of a group of 12. I think some of us are handling it pretty well and others are taking it really hard.”
