CENTENNIAL | Father of accused Aurora theater shooter James Holmes attended jury questioning March 4, the first time that Holmes’s parents have been present for jury selection since it began in late January.
Robert Holmes, who lives in San Diego, sat through the full day of individual juror questioning, which lasted until 6 p.m. The defense has mentioned that James Holmes’s parents may testify during the trial.
The defense challenged three jurors and requested they be dismissed after lengthy questioning sessions. Judge Carlos Samour Jr. overruled two of the challenges and dismissed one of the three jurors.
One of the jurors who will return for the next phase of questioning is a human resource manager at a construction company. She expressed opinions supporting the death penalty in her juror questionnaire, but when questioned by the lawyers said her opinions had changed and she could set them aside.
Samour said that he found “her to be credible. I don’t have a basis to say she is a compulsive liar.”
Four jurors moved on to group questioning on Wednesday, bringing the total number of jurors scheduled for group questioning to 51. Jurors were released on Wednesday for financial hardship and the inability to be fair throughout the trail.
Samour also ruled that a juror who knew a potential witness would be retained because it is unlikely that the witness, a nurse, will be called.
Holmes sat quietly in a white button down shirt, reading a book. Individual questioning of prospective jurors will resume on Thursday.