Batman killing case in court
2013-01-07 17:50
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Centennial - Prosecutors are in court on Monday to
outline their case against the young US man suspected of shooting 12 people
dead at a midnight premiere of the latest Batman film.
The hearing, the first extensive public disclosure of the
attack's details, will determine whether the case will go to trial.
James Holmes is charged with more than 160 counts in the
Colorado attack, including murder and attempted murder.
Investigators say he was wearing body armour and a gas
mask when he tossed two gas canisters and opened fire in the cinema on 20 July.
In addition to the 12 dead, 70 were wounded.
Many survivors and family members of the dead were
expected to attend the hearing.
Details of the case have been kept quiet. Three days
after the shooting, District Judge William Sylvester forbade attorneys and
investigators from discussing the case publicly, and many court documents have
been filed under seal.
Police say Holmes, now 25, had stockpiled weapons,
ammunition, explosives and body armour.
He was a first-year student in a PhD neuroscience programme
at the University of Colorado, Denver, but he failed a year-end exam and
withdrew, authorities have said.
The shootings came six weeks later.
Federal authorities have said Holmes entered the cinema
with a ticket and is believed to have propped open a door, slipped out to his
car and returned with his weapons. Police arrested him outside the theatre
shortly after the shootings ended.
Legal analysts said on Monday's hearing could set the
stage for a negotiated plea agreement by allowing each side to assess the
other's strength.
Holmes' mental health could be a significant issue in the
hearing.
His attorneys have told the judge Holmes is mentally ill,
but they have not said whether they plan to employ an insanity defense.
He had seen a university psychiatrist, and his lawyers
have said he tried to call the psychiatrist nine minutes before the killing
began.
Defense lawyers have said they plan to call at least two
witnesses who could testify about Holmes' mental health. Prosecutors asked the
judge to block the witnesses, but he refused.
Lawyers have been debating what physical evidence should
be made available, whether a psychiatrist who met with Holmes is barred from
testimony by doctor-patient privilege and other issues.
- AP
