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The jury in the Colorado theater shooting trial has again declined to rule out the death penalty as it moves toward sentencing James Holmes.
Jurors said Monday that Holmes' lawyers haven't presented a strong enough case to eliminate execution as an option.
The decision clears the way for another round of arguments before the jury makes a final decision between capital punishment and life in prison without parole. Prosecutors will call victims to testify about the impact of Holmes' crimes on their lives.
In phase three, the victims and their families will have the opportunity to address the court.
Holmes was found guilty of murder in the first degree on July 16.
Holmes confessed to walking into the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012, wearing protective gear and armed with an assault weapon, other guns and gas canisters.
The theater he entered was showing “The Dark Knight Rises.” Holmes told the crowd he was the Joker before opening fire, killing 12 and wounding 70.
Holmes was charged with 24 counts of first-degree murder (two counts for each victim) and 116 counts of attempted first-degree murder, along with weapons charges.
His defense team tried to convince jurors that Holmes was insane at the time of the attacks, but the jury did not agree.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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