Defense, prosecution rest in Aurora theater shooting trialDay 47 of the Aurora theater shooting trial
The Denver Post
By Noelle Phillips and Jesse Paul | July 10, 2015, 09:22:30 AM MDTCENTENNIAL — At 10:47 a.m. Friday, after 256 witnesses and 47 days of courtroom proceedings, the testimony phase in the Aurora theater shooting trial came to a close.
"At this time, the defense rests," said Dan King, one of five attorneys representing the defendant.
Almost immediately, the mood in the courtroom changed. The gravity and seriousness of the past three months seemed to lift as victims' families hugged, and jurors appeared giddy over the news of being dismissed for a long weekend before lunch.
Even Judge Carlos Samour Jr. seemed ready to move on as he nearly forgot to admonish the jury about discussing the trial or watching the news during the three-day break before closing arguments Tuesday. A staff member reminded the judge as the jury stood to leave.
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Closing arguments are scheduled to begin Tuesday morning, exactly three months after a jury was seated. The trial began April 27.
Each side gets two hours to summarize its case. The prosecution will go first, followed by the defense. The prosecution then gets a chance for rebuttal. Brauchler and King will deliver the closings.
The seven alternate jurors will be sequestered at the courthouse while the 12 deliberate.
Once a verdict is reached, Samour said he will give three hours of notice to allow attorneys, victims and their families to get to the courthouse.
Deliberations will bring a new kind of tension for the victims and their families, Phillips said.
She said she has faith that Brauchler and his team have been convincing.
"It's all about his closing, and then it will be all about what the jury thinks," Phillips said. "Once we have an outcome, I'll never have to see that killer's face again."
If jurors find Holmes guilty, the trial would then shift to a penalty phase, with more testimony. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
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