Colorado theater shooter James Holmes was sentenced to life in prison without parole after a jury failed to agree Friday on whether he should get the death penalty for his murderous attack on a packed movie premiere.
Holmes will spend the rest of his life in prison after at least one juror balked at the possibility of sentencing him to death for the massacre that claimed 12 lives and spawned a gut-wrenching four-month trial.
Nine jurors wanted to execute Holmes for the 2012 attack that also injured 70 people during the screening of a Batman movie but one was steadfastly opposed and two others wavering, a juror said after the verdict was announced.
"There was one firm holdout against the death penalty and two who were on the fence. I don't know if they could have been swayed or not.
"Mental illness played into the decision more than anything else. All the jurors feel so much empathy for the victims. It's a tragedy.
"There was nothing further to discuss at that point. It only takes one," said the juror, who would not give her name.
Families of the victims of the Colorado theater shooting react after the jury in the James Holmes trial failed to agree on a death sentence.
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