CENTENNIAL, Colo. - James Holmes’ trial in the deadly Colorado theater shootings is more than five months away, but prosecutors are already asking the judge to clamp limits on what witnesses can say about the death penalty if he’s convicted.
In motions released Monday, the district attorney’s office asked the judge to bar testimony about how the state puts inmates to death if the trial gets to the sentencing phase.
Holmes is accused of opening fire in a theater full of people watching a Batman movie in a suburb of Denver in July 2012, killing 12 and wounding 70. He pleaded innocent by reason of insanity to multiple charges of murder and attempted murder.
His trial is scheduled to start Feb. 3, 2014, with jury selection.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Also Monday, a judge ordered Fox News reporter Jana Winter to return to court Sept. 30 for possible questioning about her confidential sources for a story about Holmes.
Holmes’ attorneys want to know who told Winter that before the shootings, Holmes sent a psychiatrist a notebook containing violent drawings.
Winter has said she won’t identify her sources.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 08/20/2013