AFP/Centennial

The troubled gunman accused of killing 12 cinema-goers at a 2012 premiere of a Batman movie appeared in court yesterday, as his long-awaited trial finally got under way with jury selection.
Looking markedly different from previous appearances, James Holmes sported a neatly-trimmed beard, dark brown hair and dark-rimmed glasses as he sat listening to proceedings in the court in Centennial, Colorado.
The 27-year-old, wearing khaki trousers, a blue stripped shirt and navy blue jacket, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but could face the death penalty if convicted.
He has been in custody since the night of the mass murder on July 20, 2012 in Aurora and faces 166 counts of aggravated murder, attempted murder and possession of explosives.
The trial began with jury selection - likely to last a few months - to pick 24 jurors and stand-ins from a selection pool of over 9,000 Denver-area residents, whittled down to 7,000 by yesterday.
After some 130-150 possible jurors on the first day, 500 or so are expected to be processed per day from today, until around 150 acceptable jurors are found for individual questioning.
The jurors will have to fill out an 18-page questionnaire. The initial phase is expected to last 3-4 weeks, followed by group and then individual questioning.
Witnesses said Holmes threw smoke bomb-type devices before opening fire inside the Century theater with weapons including a military-style rifle, a shotgun and a .40-caliber pistol. Seventy people were also wounded.
His one-bedroom apartment was later found to be booby-trapped with an array of homemade explosive devices which police had to disarm before entering.
In preliminary hearings prosecutors said Holmes, a neuroscience graduate student, had in his possession sufficient ammunition to kill everyone in the crowded theatre showing The Dark Knight Rises.
Holmes stunned observers by appearing in court initially with flaming orange hair similar to the Batman character the Joker. Later, he wore jail scrubs with brown hair and a heavy beard.
The primary issue at trial will be whether Holmes was sane at the time of the massacre.
He has undergone two separate psychiatric examinations since his arrest and much of the trial is expected to be devoted to psychiatric testimony.
“The reality is a successful insanity defence is a rare bird indeed,” said Scott Robinson, a Denver attorney who has closely followed the proceedings.
The high-profile trial could run through September or October in the event of a guilty verdict. Colorado law requires a two-phase trial, the first assessing guilt or innocence; the second focusing on punishment.
“It’s dragged on this long because the prosecutor is seeking the death penalty,” said Denver defence attorney David Lane.
Holmes’ parents Robert and Arlene in December wrote a letter to The Denver Post saying their son had never harmed anyone prior to the July 2012 shootings.
“We have read postings on the Internet that have likened him to a monster. He is not a monster. He is a human being gripped by a severe mental illness,” the couple wrote, in their only comments on the case thus far.
If found not guilty by reason of insanity, Holmes will be confined to a state mental hospital.
To win release, he would have to be found free of mental illness and no longer a danger to himself or others. Both Lane and Robinson said that is unlikely because no psychiatrist would be willing to sign off on releasing Holmes.