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Five things learned about James Holmes from his court appearance

When James Holmes allegedly opened fire on innocent movie watchers last Friday, killing 12 and wounding 58, people wondered what could lead a person to do such a thing. Holmes was put into solitary confinement over the weekend and this morning stood in front of a court, and cameras, for the first time since the shootings.

Here are a few things we learned about James Holmes from this morning’s court appearance:

  1. This story won’t have an ending any time soon. Arapahope County District Attorney Carol Chambers told CBS it will likely be at least a year before a trial.
  2. Seeking the death penalty is under debate. Chambers said she will consult families before deciding. A decision on that could take months, CBS reports.
  3. Holmes has a new look. Sitting quietly with bright red-orange hair, he was described in court as being “wide-eyed, unshaven, his head bobbing slightly.”
  4. Holmes won’t be allowed to have contact with any surviving victims, nor their relatives, writes the Daily Mail. Judge’s orders.
  5. The judge also ordered he be held without bond. This means he’ll go back into the Colorado jail where a jailhouse worker told the New York Daily News Holmes didn’t show remorse and acted as though he were in a movie. A recently released inmate told the Daily News, “He was spitting at the door and spitting at the guard,” he said outside the jail. “He’s spitting at everything. Dude was acting crazy.”

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