DENVER — An unprecedented jury pool of 9,000 people has been called as lawyers begin to select 12 people to decide if James Holmes was insane when he killed a dozen people and wounded 58 more in a Colorado movie theater. The scale of jury selection set to begin Tuesday in Denver shows how challenging it is to handle the case of a mass shooting suspect who stands trial.
The trial promises a look into the mind of Holmes, whose attorneys acknowledged was the gunman in the July 20, 2012, attack but say he was in the grip of a psychotic episode. Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. If jurors find him guilty, they must decide whether to recommend the death penalty. If found not guilty, he would be committed a mental hospital.
IN-DEPTH
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