The judge overseeing the Aurora movie theater shooting case now says he will summon 9,000 potential jurors for the trial, further expanding what was already expected to be among in American history.
Judge Carlos Samour wrote that “[i]t will be much easier to call off prospective jurors who are not needed than it will be to adjust if there are insufficient prospective jurors.” All of the jurors will be called from the Arapahoe County rolls, meaning that Arapahoe County residents now have a 1-in-50 chance of receiving a jury summons for the long-awaited trial.
Jury selection is expected , when jurors will begin arriving in waves to the courthouse to complete and then return home to see if they are called back. Individual questioning of those who do return will begin in February and last until June, when opening statements in the trial are expected.
The actual trial is expected to take months. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against James Holmes, meaning that, if jurors convict Holmes of murder, they would have to return to decide his fate.
John Ingold: 303-954-1068, jingold@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johningold
