CENTENNIAL | Judge Carlos Samour Jr. began planning logistics on Wednesday for the start of opening statements in the Aurora theater shooting trial. Opening statements will start on April 27 and Samour said he wants both parties to be prepared to prevent any potential delays.
Samour asked the defense and prosecution attorneys to plan what evidence and exhibits will be presented. The prosecution said they have a large, 5-foot by 7-foot, model of the movie theater that will require maneuvering and pre-planning to get into the courtroom. The prosecution said they also plan on bringing in seats from the theater.
Three jurors were retained for group questioning on Wednesday. One potential juror who moved on to group questioning is a psychologist at the Aurora Mental Health Center. She said her work would not affect her ability to be fair and impartial. The potential juror also said, “God would help guide my decision.”
Another juror kept for group questioning was a man from Texas who works for the Colorado Department of Labor. He compared the death penalty laws in Colorado to the attitude toward the death penalty in Texas.
Jurors were released Wednesday for medical problems, financial hardships and the inability to sentence James Homes to life in prison.
Individual questioning will continue Thursday. Group questioning will begin on April 13.
Someone from Aurora Mental Health on the jury, where the mental stability of the accused is going to be a huge part of the defense?? What are they thinking???
Someone from Aurora Mental Health potentially on the jury. Also I could see how it could play into the prosecution since legal insanity is hard to prove and a psychologist would know that this guy had the mental capacity to tell right from wrong. Usually with that much planning and an getaway plan it means he understood he was doing wrong and needed to escape.