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Colorado theater shooter James Holmes sentenced to life in prison

On 20 July 2012, Holmes entered a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. He set off tear gas grenades and shot at the audience, killing 12 people and injuring 70 more

LOS ANGELES, August 8. /TASS/. Colorado movie rampage gunman James Holmes has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole for killing 12 people and wounding 70 more at a screening of a Batman film in 2012, a jury in Centennial court announced on Saturday.

The jury included nine women and three men, and they had to agree on whether to sentence Holmes, 27, to death penalty or life imprisonment. According to the law, death penalty requires all jurors to find a defendant guilty on every count. If jurors are not unanimous in their decision, a defendant is automatically sentenced to a milder sentence - life in prison.

On 20 July 2012, Holmes entered a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during a screening of a Batman film, armed with an assault rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. He set off tear gas grenades and shot at the audience, killing 12 people and injuring 70 more.

Holmes studied neuroscience at University of Colorado Denver. A month before the tragedy, he dropped his studies. According to court documents, he met saw three therapists - two psychiatrists and a social worker - at the university in the spring of 2012.

Holmes carefully prepared for the shooting for several weeks. Apart from weapons and ammunition, he purchased a helmet, a gas mask and a bulletproof vest. He also booby-trapped his apartment to kill anyone who tried to enter. Holmes also visited the Aurora movie theater ahead of the attack.

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