James Eagan Holmes, the 24-year-old man accused of killing a dozen people in a US movie theatre on Monday made his first appearance in a Colorado courtroom.The court appearance saw 40 members of the victims’ families in attendance, as Holmes, with his hair dyed red sat silently and allowed his lawyers to do most of the talking.Holmes, being held without bond, appeared “extremely subdued” and often looked down on to the floor of the Arapahoe County courthouse, Leanne Gregg, an NBC correspondent outside the court house, told Al Jazeera.A father of one of the victims, reported Gregg, was “shocked”. He was “horrified” to see Holmes sitting silently and looking groggy in the court room.Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester presided over the 20-minute proceeding consisted mainly of an initial reading of the former neuroscience doctoral student’s rights.Carol Chambers, the county’s district attorney, speaking outside the court house, said she would consult with the victims and families of the dead before making a decision on seeking the death penalty.The decision on the death penalty must be made within 60 days of Holmes’ arraignment, “so it’s months down the line”, said Chambers, who has prosecuted two of the three inmates currently Colorado’s death row.Gregg reported that the legal proceedings could take months.Holmes, meanwhile, is being held in solitary confinement to protect him from other prisoners.Capital caseThe crime meets all the elements of Colorado capital case law, including premeditation, multiple victims, and the killing of a child - a six-year-old girl was among the dead in Friday’s attack - said Craig Silverman, a former Denver prosecutor.
