Alleged Aurora Shooter Silent, Eyes Drooping on First Day in Court

AP
Adam Martin 9,340 Views Jul 23, 2012

Update (12:23 p.m. EDT): There's no word on whether Holmes was drugged while in court, a prosecutor tells AP.

Update (12:14 p.m. EDT): Prosecutors likely won't make a decision on whether to seek the death penalty for months, the Associated Press tweets.

Original: On the first of what will likely be many appearances in an Arapahoe County courthouse, alleged Auroro, Colorado shooter James Holmes sported dyed orange-red hair and said nothing. His head nodded and is eyelids drooped, and he held his gaze down, below eye level, though from time to time his eyes bulged widely. The 24-year-old Holmes did not enter a plea, didn't hear the charges against him, and didn't get the chance to have bail set. The hearing against him was basically a chance for Judge William Blair Sylvester to inform Holmes of his rights to an attorney and a jury trial, and to order him not to have contact with any victims. Sylvester scheduled another hearing for Monday, July 30, to hear formal charges against Holmes, who allegedly walked into an Aurora movie theater early Friday morning and opened fire, killing 12 people and wounding another 58.

Holmes is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, and Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers said "the death penalty will be considered in this case," The New York Daily News reports, noting that she has sought the ultimate penalty six times as district attorney, and this case clearly qualifies because of the number of victims and the fact that some are children. Authorities want to make sure that if Holmes dies for what he allegedly did, the state is the one to kill him. "Uniformed sheriff's deputies were stationed outside, and deputies were positioned on the roofs of both court buildings at the Arapahoe County Justice Center in Centennial, south of Denver," the AP reported

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