A jury of nine women and three men couldn't reach a unanimous verdict Friday on the fate of convicted Aurora movie theatre shooter James Holmes, deciding he should spend the rest of his life behind bars rather than face the death penalty.
Their decision - which took less than seven hours to decide upon - comes after watching gruesome crime scene video of the July 20, 2012 massacre's aftermath where 12 people died during a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises." Last month, the same jury convicted Holmes on 164 separate murder counts, including 24 counts of first-degree murder.
Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour allowed the jury's request to watch the 45-minute video just once; a request granted over the defense's objection.
At 5 p.m. local time, Holmes found out whether he was to receive a lethal injection or spends the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. Denver NBC affiliate 9NEWS provided a live stream of the proceedings.
Last month, the same jury convicted Holmes on 164 separate murder counts, including 24 counts of first-degree murder.
Holmes remained relatively expressionless throughout the trial, even when dozens of wounded survivors testified about how they stumbled over bodies while escaping and witnessed loved ones die in their arms. In all, 306 witnesses were called during the 60-day trial; one that preceded similar movie theatre crimes in Louisiana and Tennessee.
Defense attorney Tamara Brady argued the 27-year-old shooter suffered from schizophrenia, asking jurors if they were ready to live with a death penalty decision for the rest of their lives. During the trial's penalty phase, Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler reflected on the evil Holmes brought into the cinema, telling jurors "For James Egan Holmes, justice is death."
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Twitter users responded swiftly. Some though the verdict was racially motivated while other saw it as a step towards backwards in serving justice.