US: Cinema massacre perpetrator escapes death penalty

James Holmes, the perpetrator of the horrific shooting at a movie theater in Colorado in July 2012 that left more than 70 people injured and dead, was sentenced to life in prison on August 7.

James Holmes

In a statement to the court, Judge Carlos Samour said the jury was unable to reach a consensus on the death penalty for James Holmes and therefore decided to sentence him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The official sentencing date is set for August 24-26.

The final decision came after a trial attended by 306 witnesses, including the victims' families and the perpetrator's parents. A total of 2,695 pieces of evidence were presented to the court during the three-month trial.

On July 20, 2012, James Holmes stormed into the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora and opened fire indiscriminately, shocking moviegoers. A total of 12 people were killed and more than 70 injured in this shocking incident in the United States.

Holmes, 27, who was born and raised in San Diego, California, graduated from college in 2010 and was a neuroscience graduate student at the University of Colorado in June 2011, but dropped out after failing a key course. This is considered one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.

According to VNA/Baotintuc.vn