CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — The judge in the Colorado theater shootings case has indefinitely postponed the trial of suspect James Holmes so attorneys can argue whether he should undergo another psychiatric evaluation.
District Judge Carlos Samour scheduled hearings on the issue for Dec. 17 and 18.
Mr. Holmes pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of killing 12 people and injuring 70 at an Aurora theater in July 2012. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty and want Mr. Holmes to undergo further evaluation of his sanity.
The findings of Mr. Holmes’ first mental health evaluation, conducted at a state hospital, have not been disclosed publicly.
Mr. Holmes’ attorneys don’t dispute that he committed the shootings, but his plea makes psychiatric evaluations — which assess whether Mr. Holmes was sane at the time of the shootings — the most important pieces of evidence.
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