James Holmes will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing 12 people and wounding 70 more at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater.
A jury was unable Friday to reach a unanimous sentencing verdict, which results in life in prison without parole instead of the death penalty for Holmes, who had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2012 shootings. He was convicted last month of 24 counts of first-degree murder — two for each of the slain victims.
The 12-member jury reached a decision after deliberating almost seven hours since late Thursday. As they walked back into the courtroom shortly after 5 p.m. (7 p.m. ET), they made no eye contact with anyone. Some had a grim face. Some were ashen.
Holmes stood with his hands in his pockets as Judge Carlos Samour read the sentencing verdicts.
One female juror later told reporters that there was no way to resolve the disagreement on what the sentence should be.
“There was one firm holdout against the death penalty and two … who were on the fence,” said the juror, who would not give her name. “I don’t know if they could have been swayed or not.”
She said the graphic nature of the evidence made the 15-week trial very difficult. She called it a life-changing experience.
After the judge read on the first count that the jurors couldn’t reach the unanimous decision required for the death penalty, Holmes’ mother, Arlene, began crying and she put her head on her husband Robert’s shoulder. She sagged into him and he held her up.
As the judge read on, several people in the area where family members and survivors had been sitting heeded the judge’s prior admonition and left the courtroom instead of reacting emotionally.
Ashley Moser, who is paralyzed and lost her 6-year-old daughter during the shooting, sobbed in her wheelchair and shook her head.
The verdicts took 11 minutes to read.
Lonnie Phillips, whose daughter Jessica Ghawi was killed, rubbed his wife Sandy’s shoulder as she leaned forward, weeping. By the time the second charge including her daughter’s name was read she had composed herself.
Holmes will not go to prison yet. Official sentencing was scheduled for August 24-26.
The same jury earlier convicted 27-year-old Holmes for the capital murder of 12 people.