Jan. 20, 2015: In this courtroom sketch, James Holmes, left, and defense attorney Tamara Brady are depicted, as they sit in court on the first day of jury selection in Holmes' trial, at the Arapahoe County Justice Center, in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/Jeff Kandyba)
As jury selection entered a second day in the James Holmes murder trial, a number of jurors were dismissed Wednesday for reasons ranging from medical conditions to language barriers.
Holmes is accused of opening fire at a midnight showing of “Batman” at a suburban Denver theater in 2012, killing 12 and injuring 70.
The first wave of a 9,000-member jury pool - the largest in U.S. history – showed up Tuesday.
Judge Carlos Samour told the court Wednesday that one potential juror had called to say she was violently ill and in the process of getting an ambulance to pick her up. Samour told the defense and prosecution attorneys, "I am inclined to release her." He added, however, that she would be instructed to come back on a different day if she was feeling better.
A sheriff's deputy reported he caught a juror taking a picture with his cellphone of the 18- page questionnaire all jurors are required to fill out. The deputy made the juror delete the photo but the judge was unable to determine the potential juror’s identity.
Seven others who showed up in the morning were released from service including one who had a handwritten note from a doctor saying he needed to be excused from jury duty for a medical condition.
Four others were excused because they could not speak English while two other said they were not residents of Arapahoe County.
Six more who showed up for the session were released for medical reasons, difficulty with English, not being a U.S. citizen and not living in the county.
In all, more than 400 people have shown up so far for jury orientation in a case expected to last until October or November.
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