As Theater Shooting Victims Begin To Testify, How Much Emotion Can Jury Handle?

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - The first day of testimony in the Aurora theater shooting trial gave a chilling look at what jurors will be hearing for the next several weeks.

Heartbreaking testimonies were told by the victims about the horrors of that July 2012 night, and what life has been like since.

Jurors heard from nine witnesses on Tuesday, all with gut wrenching tales of what happened inside the theater.

There will be many days like this, but a question that prosecutors may face is how many of them in a row.

Katie Medley was the trial's first witness. She said when James Holmes started shooting, she ducked. Her husband, Caleb, though, was still in his seat. He had already been shot in the head.

"So I grabbed Caleb's hand, and he actually squeezed my hand, and I told him that I loved him and that I would take care of our baby if he didn't make it," said Katie.

LIVE UPDATES: Twitter Updates And More From The Trial

She gave birth to their son two days later. Caleb survived, but was severely brain damaged. He still struggles to speak.

Caleb Medley was only asked if he was in the theater that night, answering yes on a letter board.

CBS4 Legal Analyst Karen Steinhauser said too many heavily emotional days like Tuesday could backfire on prosecutors.

"As a prosecutor, you have to be careful not to give the jury so much emotion at one time, that they become used to it," she said.

That could lead prosecutors to introduce evidence of Holmes' sanity soon. Jurors will have to decide if two doctors who declared Holmes sane have a better claim over two doctors who called him insane immediately after the shooting.

"It's a hurdle that the prosecutors have. Is it an insurmountable hurdle, given all the evidence they have? I don't think so," Steinhauser said.

Prosecutors haven't indicated when those doctors will testify, or even who's next on the witness list.