James Holmes, 24, the man suspected of killing 12 people and injuring 58 others in a midnight screen of the Batman movie 'The Dark Knight Rises', has appeared in court for the first time. The former neuroscience student appeared at an introductory hearing on Monday morning (July 23, 2012) ahead of what is expected to be a slew of criminal charges made against him.
He appeared before an Araphahoe County judge in Centennial, Colorado, and was advised of the first degree murder charges that he's likely to face. With dyed orange hair, Holmes sat in the courtroom with a dazed look on his face and made no attempt to speak to his lawyer or acknowledge comments made by the judge. At a press conference conducted immediately after Holmes' appearance, it was confirmed that formal criminal charges will be filed next Monday morning. The accused is being held in solitary confinement without bond - such is the severity of the case - has been reportedly not been cooperating with authorities. He was transferred from the jail to the courtroom through an underground tunnel as media swarmed the area.
The 24-year-old allegedly opened fire during a midnight screening of the new Batman movie 'The Dark Knight Rises' last week. Police reacted in less than two minutes and apprehended Holmes in the parking lot. It took several days for authorities to get into his nearby apartment, after it was found to have been booby-trapped.