“We all felt mental illness was there, but probably disagreed on the impact of it,” the juror said.
James Holmes, top left in tan shirt, listens to the verdict forms being read.
Colorado Judicial Department / AP pool
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Colorado theater shooter James Holmes avoided the death penalty on Friday due to a single holdout on the jury, one juror said.
Holmes was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing 12 people and injuring 70 others inside an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater three years ago after the jury of nine women and three men could not reach the unanimous decision needed for the death penalty.
A woman who would only identify herself as Juror 17 told reporters outside the courthouse Friday that life in prison became the default sentence when one juror said they were firmly against the death penalty for Holmes. A couple of jurors were on the fence, she added, but were otherwise leaning toward a death sentence.
"We all felt mental illness was there, but probably disagreed on the impact of it," Juror 17 said.
During their final deliberations, a juror who sided with the death penalty for Holmes asked to review some of the most graphic images presented in the case — a 45-minute crime scene video showing blood and bodies — in an effort to sway the final hold out, Juror 17 said.
But, she added, "we ended the deliberations because that person was solidly in favor of a life sentence."
The jury deliberated for roughly seven hours beginning Thursday afternoon before notifying the judge that the panel had reached a decision that shocked and disappointed many who had hoped for the death penalty.
"I've tried to resolve Veronica's death and I can't," said Robert Sullivan, grandfather of slain 6-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan. "This just makes it worse."
SOURCE: BuzzFeed
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