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Colorado Theater Shooting Suspect Will Enter Insanity Plea

In a court filing today, lawyers for Colorado theater shooting suspect James Holmes said he intended to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

Holmes will enter the plea, the court filing says, during a hearing on May 13.

Holmes is accused of opening fire in a crowded Aurora, Colo. movie theater, killing 12 people and injuring 70.

Back in March, a judge entered a not guilty plea on Holmes' behalf. That same month, his defense attorneys floated the idea that Holmes was willing to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty. Prosecutors slammed his defense team, calling that offer a "publicity ploy."

"Holmes would need a judge's permission to change his plea," The Denver Post reports.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.