Theater Shooting Trial: Day 1 Surprise & What's Next
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - Opening statements ended Monday evening in the trial of the man who opened fire inside the movie theater in Aurora. Both sides focused the jury on the key point of whether James Holmes was sane when he killed 12 people and injured 70 others.
It was an emotional start to what is expected to be a long trial, and CBS4 Legal Analyst Karen Steinhauser, a former prosecutor, has been following the case.
"I think that both sides are laying out their strategy and talking about what the experts are going to be saying. The prosecutors were talking about the two state-appointed psychiatrists who are going to say that the defendant was sane at the time," Steinhauser said. "The defense attorneys countered that with the fact that both of these doctors had interviewed their client after he had already been on anti-psychotic medication."
She said the defense will be presenting doctors who actually saw Holmes shortly after the shootings occurred and will say he was insane at the time and suffers from psychotic delusions.
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"And that his trying to prove his self-worth by the shootings was all part of the psychotic delusions and his break in reality known as schizophrenia," Steinhauser said.
Steinhauser said she thought many assumed that because the district attorney had asked for a second opinion after the first mental evaluation, that the first evaluation had come back as Holmes being insane. But it was surprising to find out that wasn't the case.
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"So I think the fact that the prosecutor brought up that both doctors have agreed that he was sane at the time … was a little bit of a surprise."
On Tuesday Steinhauser anticipates testimony from many of the victims and their families.
"The prosecutor … indicated that the jurors would be hearing from these people about the devastation that went on on July 20. And the defense attorney said they aren't disputing what went on in that theater. That's not the issue in this case."
