Colo. theater shooting prompts bill making it harder to get not guilty by reason of insanity
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Colorado lawmakers are considering whether to make it tougher for defendants to be found not guilty by reason of insanity, prompted in part by the mass killings at a movie theater last summer.
A bill up for debate in a legislative committee Wednesday would require defense lawyers to prove a defendant is insane by clear and convincing evidence. The current standard requires prosecutors to prove defendants are sane.
Two high-profile Colorado cases thrust the issue into the spotlight.
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Lawyers for James Holmes, charged with killing 12 people the theater shootings, say he's mentally ill. Some expect Holmes to enter an insanity plea.
In 2010, a man charged with wounding two students outside a Denver-area school was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He was committed to a mental hospital.