CENTENNIAL | Prosecutors and lawyers for accused theater shooter James Holmes want a portion of the jury selection process to be closed to the public, they said in court Thursday.
Jury selection is typically open to the public and the press, but the two sides said they want the portion where they question individual jurors to be closed to the public.
Judge Carlos Samour has said he plans to issue jury summonses to 6,000 people and choose 12 jurors and 12 alternates, a process that could take as long as three months. The trial, which is scheduled to start this fall, is expected to last another five months.
The defense said they would like the public and press barred from jury selection once the pool has been winnowed down to about 120 to 150 prospective jurors. Prosecutors didn’t take a position on that idea, but they said they’d like the initial questioning sessions closed to the public.
Prosecutors also said they want to try to shield jurors from any possible protesters.
Holmes appeared in court Thursday wearing a red jail jumpsuit and orange jail slippers. He had a beard, shaggy hair and sat silently throughout the hearing, even when the judge addressed him directly. He appears to have gained weight since his last court appearance.
Holmes is accused of killing 12 and wounding dozens more during a July 2012 shooting rampage at an Aurora theater. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.