Jury Selection Begins in Trial of Aurora Theater Shooter James Holmes

The 27-year-old goes on trial for killing 12 moviegoers and injuring 70 more

Photo: RJ Sangosti/Getty

It has been more than two years since a gunman opened fire in a Colorado movie theater during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. The shooting left 12 dead and injured 70 more.

Police soon apprehended James Holmes in a rear parking lot of the Century 16 Theater in Aurora’s Town Center Mall. He was heavily armed and wearing a bulletproof vest.

Now, Holmes – who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity – will get his day in court. Jury selection in his trial begins on Tuesday.

Because of the publicity surrounding the case, a judge has ordered that the jury be chosen from a pool of 9,000 candidates. Jurors have been summoned to appear at the Arapahoe County Courthouse in groups of 250, where each will fill out a 75-question survey.

Jury selection is expected to take several months.

Survivors of the attack acknowledge that the process will be emotionally draining – but are hoping to see justice served.

“We’ve all been to therapists and have talked to our families and have our support groups, so we’re prepared,” victim Marcus Weaver, who was shot in the arm, told 7 News in Denver. “It’s gonna be quite the journey.”