By Louis Sahagun and Michael Muskal, Los Angeles Times –
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — James Holmes, the suspect in last week’s deadly shooting rampage in a suburban movie theater, made his first court appearance Monday, his hair dyed reddish-orange in an apparent nod to the comic book world of the Caped Crusader.
Friday’s shooting — during a showing of the latest Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Rises” — killed 12 people and injured 58. Wearing a maroon jail jumpsuit, Holmes, 24, spent much of the brief hearing with his eyes down, frowning or staring off into space. Unshaven, he appeared dazed as the legal proceedings took place around him, even shutting his eyes at one point.
Police searched Holmes’ booby-trapped Aurora apartment over the weekend, recovering Batman mementos and posters. Last week, police officials, including New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, had told reporters that Holmes considered himself an arch-villain from the Batman mythology.
“You’re no tough guy now,” said someone connected to one of the victims and sitting in front of the courtroom.
The court appearance came in what is technically known as an advisement, a first appearance designed to tell a defendant of his or her rights in the case. Holmes was told he is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder.
Formal charges are to be presented next Monday.
Holmes, 24, has been held in solitary confinement at an Arapahoe County detention facility since Friday. The former science graduate student wore shackles as he left the courtroom after the almost 15-minute proceeding; he was returned to the county jail, where he is being held without bail.
Still to be determined is whether officials will seek the death penalty. “The death penalty certainly will be considered in this case,” District Attorney Carol Chambers said in a brief interview outside of court.
Among the legal questions is whether Holmes will seek an insanity defense. Officials in recent days have argued that the preparation of the attack, the shooting itself and the installation of traps in his apartment all speak to deliberate calculation by Holmes.
Holmes purchased four weapons — a shotgun, an assault rifle and two Glock handguns — in the months before the shooting; the attack occurred just after midnight Friday in Century 16, a movie complex at a suburban mall.
In addition, Holmes purchased more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition, special magazines for the bullets, plus body armor and a gas mask on the Internet, Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates told reporters.
