Grandparents Of Youngest Victim: 'Tried To Resolve Veronica's Death, I Can't'
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4)- The grandparents of the youngest victim in the theater shooting were visibly shaken after the sentencing of the theater gunman where the jury couldn't reach a decision, thereby sentencing him to life in prison.
"It doesn't make sense and I don't believe it," said Robert Sullivan, grandfather of Veronica Moser-Sullivan, the 6-year-old who was killed in the Aurora theater during the attack.
"We still have to abide by it, we have to accept it," said Sullivan.
The jury failed to reach an agreement on the death penalty so the Aurora theater gunman will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"That's not justice. Our loved ones are gone," said Sullivan.
AURORA THEATER SHOOTING: Story Archive | Timeline | Remembering The Victims
Jurors convicted James Holmes on July 16 on 24 counts of first-degree murder, two counts for each person murdered in the July 20, 2012 attack inside an Aurora movie theater. That made Holmes eligible for the death penalty. He was also convicted of attempted first-degree murder, two counts for each of the 70 people he injured that night.
"Even if he had gotten the death sentence, I've tried to resolve Veronica's death, and I can't. There's just something... the loss... that's the gaping wound. It's not going to go away. It just makes it worse," said Sullivan.
Sullivan was one of the last family members to testify during the victim impact phase of the sentencing. His testimony brought many jurors to tears when he described his granddaughter and all the possibility that was lost when she was killed.
Holmes showed no emotion as he stood before the judge when the verdict was read in court. The official sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 24 and is expected to last three days.
