Colorado: James Holmes' attorneys file to relocate murder trial

Attorneys for James Holmes, the man charged with killing 12 people and injuring 70 in an Aurora, Colo. movie theater, have officially asked a judge to move the trial, saying potential jurors have been exposed to prejudicial news coverage and carry emotional burdens from the massacre.

In motions filed Friday and made public Monday, defense attorneys contend that some of the news coverage "is tantamount to publishing a confession," and that defendant Holmes cannot get a fair trial in Arapahoe County, where the attack occurred.

Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to multiple charges of murder and attempted murder in the July 2012 shootings in the Denver suburb. His attorneys have acknowledged he was the shooter but say he was in the grip of a psychotic episode.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Holmes' trial is scheduled to begin in October in Centennial, a southeast Denver suburb about 10 miles from the shooting scene.

It was not immediately clear whether the request for a change of venue might further delay the trial. District Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr., who is presiding over the case, has not said whether he would consider the request.

The initial deadline for requesting a new venue passed more than a year ago, at Holmes' arraignment hearing on March 12, 2013. The law does allow later requests if the judge deems there is good cause.

The case has been slowed by complicated legal questions involving the insanity plea and death penalty.

The most recent delay came after prosecutors asked for a 2nd mental evaluation. The judge eventually granted the new evaluation, but it was placed on hold amid defense objections.

Moving the trial could be costly and difficult.

A courtroom in the Centennial courthouse has been remodeled at a cost of $26,400 to accommodate a 24-member jury, including the 12 alternates sought by Judge Samour.

He plans to issue 6,000 summonses for potential jurors. It's not known whether that many would be required in a different venue.

A new venue also would raise questions about housing and transporting Holmes. In Centennial, deputies can move him between the courthouse and the neighboring jail relatively easily.

Source: CBS news, April 9, 2014

Former Florida officer who raped, murdered 11-year-old set to be executed

An execution date has been set for a former Mascotte police officer who, in May 1987, assaulted and murdered an 11-year-old girl. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant for James Aren Duckett on Friday. He’s scheduled to be executed on March 31. It’ll be the state’s 5th execution this year, following a record 19 executions in 2025. Duckett was convicted in the murder of 11-year-old Teresa McAbee about a year after her death. According to officials, Duckett took the 11-year-old to a lake, where he sexually battered, strangled and drowned her.

Florida executes Billy Kearse

Florida executes man who killed Fort Pierce police officer during 1991 traffic stop Moments before receiving a lethal injection, Billy Kearse asked for forgiveness from the family of Danny Parrish, whose widow said she found peace after a "long, long 35 years.” A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop was executed Tuesday evening, becoming the third person put to death by Florida this year after a record 19 executions in 2025.

Chinese courts conclude trials of 2 criminal gangs from northern Myanmar, 16 sentenced to death

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Florida | Governor DeSantis signs death warrant in 2008 murder case

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Oklahoma Ends Indefinite Death Row Solitary Confinement

Every year, thousands of prisoners in the U.S. are placed in solitary confinement, where they endure isolation, abuse, and mental suffering . This practice might soon become rarer for some inmates in Oklahoma, thanks to the efforts of activists in the state. Earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma announced that the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester had ended the practice of indefinite solitary confinement for "the vast majority" of death row prisoners.

‘Come on with it’: Arkansas inmate asks to hasten execution

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Florida Cop-killer Billy Kearse set to be executed today

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Man convicted in 1986 murder set to become Florida's second execution of 2026

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Florida executes Melvin Trotter

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Texas Plans Second Execution of the Year

Cedric Ricks is set to be killed on March 11 Cedric Ricks spoke in his own defense at his 2013 murder trial, something most defendants accused of a terrible crime do not do. Ricks confessed that he had killed his girlfriend, Roxann Sanchez, and her 8-year-old son. He admitted he was aggressive and had trouble controlling his anger, stating that he was “sorry about everything.” The Tarrant County jury was unmoved. Ricks has spent the last 13 years on death row and is scheduled to be executed on March 11.

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