By Zanub Saeed
James Holmes, who shot and killed a dozen people and injured well over 50 more at a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises," appeared in a Colorado court on Monday morning to await sentencing.
The first hearing held on Monday was most of an advisement of what Holmes was arrested for, said USA Today and The Denver Post. Holmes was put into solitary confinement when he was arrested early Saturday morning in Aurora, Colo., where the massacre took place at Century 16 movie theaters.
Holmes, whose hair was dyed orange red to apparently emulate the "Batman" villain the Joker, sat stalk-still, subdued with his head down and eyes unfocused, showed the video broadcast via NBC and ABC.
Chief Judge William Sylvester told Holmes that he would be charged on the suspicion of murder for what happened on Friday evening, and for first-degree murder, noted USA Today.
Judge Sylvester asked Holmes during the short hearing if he understood the charges placed against him, though the man did not comment. Instead, his lawyer spoke on his behalf that he understood.
Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers, speaking to reporters after the hearing, said, "there is no such thing as a slam-dunk case -- we're still looking at an enormous amount of evidence," according to USA Today.
Chambers also said that it could take up to a year before Holmes is actually brought to court for his murder charges, according to USA Today, and that formal charges on Holmes will be filed in a week, next Monday.
Chambers also noted that it could take months to decide if Holmes could receive the death penalty for the mass-murder spree. The decision will have to be made after the court spoke with the surviving victims of the massacre, and relatives of the casualties.
