A stone-faced James Holmes sat in a Denver courtroom this morning as a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
The Denver Post reports:
A judge on Tuesday entered a not guilty plea for Aurora movie theater shooting suspect James Holmes after his attorneys said they weren’t ready to respond to charges that he murdered 12 people and tried to kill 70 others.
Holmes was arraigned in Arapahoe County Court on 166 counts of murder, attempted murder and other crimes related to the July 20 attack. Cameras were allowed in the courtroom, giving the public its first opportunity in months to see Holmes.
Judge William Sylvester entered the plea on Holmes’ behalf over his attorneys’ objections that he wasn’t ready. The move leaves the door open for Holmes to change his plea later to not guilty by reason of insanity.
Prosecutors will announce on April 1 whether they will seek the death penalty. The trial is scheduled for Aug. 5 and likely will last a month.
The families of several victims sighed in unison when defense attorney Daniel King said Holmes would be ready to make a plea by May or June 1. Prosecutors said they had waited long enough.
“I don’t think we could ethically stand before you and tell you we’re ready to make a plea,” King said.
Holmes’ lawyers said they weren’t prepared to enter a plea because they had more work and mental evaluations to do.
Holmes’ parents also were in courtroom. They sat with their hands folded in their laps and eyes downcast. They looked up when their son entered the courtroom.
For the rest of this story click here.
SOURCE: Denver Post
