Court Rejects Guilty Plea from Aurora 'Dark Knight' Shooter James Holmes

Prosecuting attorneys vehemently rejected a guilty plea bargain from Aurora "Dark Knight" shooter James Holmes in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. The deal can not be seen as "genuine" as Holmes' defense team has consistently denied prosecutors information they require in order to properly evaluate the agreement, lawyers for the prosecution said, according to Yahoo News.

Holmes is facing 166 charges stemming from his mass shooting last July, when he stormed the Century 16 theaters in Aurora, Colo. during a screening of "The Dark Knight" and fatally shot 12 people, and wounded another 70. 

The prosecution did not elaborate further concerning the information that has been withheld, but it's more than likely the attorney's are referring to insight into Holmes' mental state, as little to no facts have been released by the defense. Due to the defense's refusal to cooperate with the prosecution, state's attorneys said that no plea agreement exists and one "is extremely unlikely based on the present information available to the prosecution," according to a court document. Legal experts following the case say this may suggest the prosecution is seeking the death penalty for Holmes. The prosecution has yet announce its plans for sentencing. 

The prosecution admonished Holmes' lawyers for publicizing its attempt to broker a plea for their client, saying that anyone who read news of the deal would eventually believe "the defendant knows that he is guilty, the defense attorneys know that he is guilty, and that both of them know that he was not criminally insane." They added that the new leak was a calculated move by the defense to attract attention from the public and the judge to what are supposed be private plea negotiations. 

Arapahoe County district attorney George Brauchler will reveal whether or not he will call for Holmes to face the death penalty on Monday. 

In a controversial decision during proceedings earlier in the month, the judge presiding over the case approved the use of truth serum in court.

At an initial hearing in the case, Holmes' lawyer told the judge that his client still wasn't ready to enter a plea, despite several trial delays. To get proceedings under way, Judge William Sylvester entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf, and said that Holmes could later change the plea to not guilt by reason of insanity of he so chose. In the event Holmes decides to make the change in his plea, Judge Sylvester ruled that prosecuting attorneys would be allowed to question him while he is "under the influence" of a truth serum, according to CBS News. The belief being that this kind of "narcoanalytic interview" could be used to determine if Holmes was legally insane when he went on the rampage July, 20 2012. 

The exact "truth serum" drug authorities would administer has yet to be announced, aside from a statement that the substance would be "medically appropriate," The Guardian reported. Legal experts suspect the drug most likely to be used for loosening up Holmes to talk would be a "short-acting barbiturate such as sodium amytal."

Courts rarely allow the use of any kind of "truth serum" in trials. According to The Guardian, their implementation has been sparse since they were first introduced in the 1950s, and have always been a polarizing subject of debate among U.S. legal authorities.

Unsurprisingly, Judge Sylvester's decision has already sparked questions about the ethics behind using truth serum, and the drug's actual ability to obtain objective truth from those under its influence. Many doctors have serious doubts about ability of truth serums to elicit honesty from their subjects.