Sunday marks 2 years since US theater massacre

By: 11 years ago

This June 4, 2013 file photo shows Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes in court in Centennial, Colo. Holmes is charged with the July 2012 Aurora shootings that killed 12 people and injured 70. Sunday, July 20, 2014 marks 2 years since theater massacre. AP

DENVER 鈥� On July 20, 2012, a man wearing police-style body armor killed 12 people and injured 70 during a midnight showing of 鈥淭he Dark Knight Rises鈥� in the Denver suburb of Aurora. James Holmes, a former neuroscience graduate student, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the shootings. His attorneys say he was gripped by a psychotic episode. Here are things to know on the second anniversary Sunday:

鈥擳HE TRIAL: Now scheduled to start Dec. 8 after three postponements. The first was when prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty; the second, when prosecutors asked for a second state sanity evaluation of Holmes; the third, when a doctor doing that exam asked for more time.

鈥擩URY SELECTION: Seating 12 jurors and 12 alternates will take months. Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. will issue a summons to 6,000 people and expects 3,300 candidates. They鈥檒l fill out questionnaires and undergo questioning.

鈥擮UTCOMES: If found guilty 鈥� but not by reason of insanity 鈥� Holmes could face the death penalty. If found guilty by reason of insanity, he could be committed indefinitely to the state mental hospital.

鈥擧OLMES: The 26-year-old sits quietly in shackles during hearings and stares straight ahead. He no longer has the vacant, wide-eyed stare of his first hearings. Whether he could tell right from wrong in the shooting 鈥� the key finding of the first sanity exam 鈥� wasn鈥檛 released. But the judge agreed with prosecutors that the doctor was biased and ordered a second exam that鈥檚 due Oct. 15.

鈥擲URVIVORS: Tom Teves, of Phoenix, lost his son, Alex, 24. He鈥檚 frustrated by the slow progress. 鈥淭hat individual (Holmes) has a multitude more rights than any of the victims,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 like carrying around a big weight. You get stronger carrying it around, but it never gets lighter.鈥� Tom Sullivan, of Aurora, lost his son, also named Alex, 27. Sunday is Alex鈥檚 birthday. 鈥淭here are still a lot of people out there who are hurting,鈥� Tom Sullivan said.

鈥擳HE THEATER: The former Century 16 was renovated and renamed the Century Aurora. It opened its doors to victims of the attack in January 2013 with a remembrance and a special showing of 鈥淭he Hobbit.鈥� Theater 9 is now an XD theater with a wall-to-wall screen.

鈥擳HE ANNIVERSARY: This year鈥檚 commemoration is lower key. Aurora Strong Resilience Center, set up to help residents deal with trauma, holds events on coping and will hold a Day of Remembrance. The Potter鈥檚 House church in Denver will dedicate a stand of trees in honor of the dead.

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