CENTENNIAL | Jury selection in the Aurora theater shooting trial is proceeding more quickly than anticipated, and the defense for James Holmes says they are not prepared to start the trial sooner than the originally expected May or June start date.
The defense attorneys again asked for more time to prepare between the end of jury selection and the beginning of the trial, citing changes made to the potential witness list by the prosecution.
Judge Carlos Samour Jr. said the defense does not need additional time. He said the changes to the witness list were minor and would not affect the ability of the defense to prepare for the trial. He has consistently refused to allow the defense another delay. Several have been granted so far.
Samour mentioned potentially taking a week off between the end of jury selection and the start of the trial but said he will wait and see how the selection progresses.
Two more jurors moved on to group questioning on Wednesday brining the total number of jurors set for group questioning to 36.
Samour said, “So far I am encouraged because we are going faster than we thought this was going to go.”
One juror that moved to the next phase of questioning is a pastor who said that he seeks the “truth.” The other juror sent to group questioning on Wednesday is a Navy veteran.
One juror was released after nearly two hours of questioning because he struggled with setting aside his opinions and bias.
Samour said, “He was one of the most honest people we have had.”
Jurors were released on Wednesday for their inability to sentence Holmes to the death penalty, inability to understand Samour’s questions and remarks and their inability to presume Holmes as innocent unless proven guilty.
One juror was released because he said that life in prison was a worse sentence than the death penalty. Two jurors did not appear for their individual questioning.
Holmes sat quietly in a brown button-up shirt. He occasionally smiled at a joke and drew on a legal pad.
Despite the snow that came in at the end of the day, jury selection is scheduled to resume on Thursday morning.
“…the defense for James Holmes says they are not prepared…” They’ve had over a year and they’re unprepared? Sounds like a good excuse for an appeal, the defense counsel was incompetent! So exactly how much have they been billing the state for? Of course, we won’t know what’s being spent as these folks continue to drag their feet!
Standard Defense Attorney tactics, delay, delay, delay.
Witnesses die. People forget things over time. It is every bit to the advantage of The Defendant to drag things out as long as possible.