RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty ImagesThe jury didn't buy that James Holmes was insane when he killed 12 people and injured 70 more during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises on July 20, 2012.
Holmes was found guilty today of first degree murder for opening fire on that crowded theater at the Century 16 in Aurora, Colo., nearly three years ago. His defense team had pleaded not guilty on his behalf by reason of insanity, arguing that he was not responsible for his actions. He is facing 165 counts over all, including 24 counts of first-degree murder, two per victim for acting with delibration and extreme indifference.
During testimony, two psychiatrists testified for the prosecution that he was mentally sound, while two psychiatrists testified for the defense that he was legally insane.
The nine-woman, three-man jury started deliberations yesterday, submitting several written questions in writing to the judge and requesting a whiteboard and an index of the thousands of pieces of evidence submitted over the course of the nearly three-month trial. Holmes did not take the stand himself.
Holmes, who was armed to the teeth, used an AR-15 rifle that had been modified with a high-drum magazine that allowed him to fire a large number of bullets without stopping to reload.
The new laws faced immediate backlash by conservative lawmakers and ultimately led to the first ever re-call of state legislators, but in June 2014 a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that aimed to have them overturned. As recently as April, however, the now Republican-led State Senate had passed bills to repeal both laws, though the Democrat-led House was expected to reject them.
(Originally published July 16, 2015, at 3:23 p.m. PT)