James Holmes Sentenced to Life in Prison

Over two weeks after a hung jury came to its decision, James Holmes, the Aurora movie theater shooter, appeared before court today to be formally sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Holmes was found guilty last month for all of the charges brought against him for an attack which left 12 people dead and 70 people injured at a movie premiere. Holmes’ lawyer has argued for the insanity defense by claiming the attack was one of his psychotic episodes, while the prosecution has called for the death penalty, saying that Holmes’ knew what he was doing despite his mental history.

While the prosecution sought the death penalty, which Holmes was declared eligible for, the death sentence required a unanimous verdict, leaving Judge Carlos Samour Jr. with the maximum life sentences as the alternative. The judge declared that this case was deserving of the sentence, and said that the ruling would determine that Holmes will never walk freely in society again.

You can watch here, via NBC:

[Image via screengrab]

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!