Story highlights "He just looks like a pathetic freak," shooting survivor says

Authorities say James E. Holmes planned the attack for months

A public defender has been assigned to represent him

Fifteen people remain hospitalized, five in critical condition

The man accused of shooting into a packed movie theater made his first court appearance Monday, giving the public its first look at the 24-year-old former doctoral student since his arrest moments after the gunfire ended early Friday.

James E. Holmes , his hair dyed various shades of orange, looked down, then straight ahead. He sat without blinking for long periods. At times, his eyes fluttered, then squeezed tight and reopened in a blank stare. Occasionally, his eyebrows arched over several days of stubble, giving his face a mournful mien.

But the dazed-looking man, who identified himself to police as "The Joker," wore a maroon jumpsuit over a white T-shirt and gave little indication that he was paying attention to the courtroom procedure that ensured he will continue to be held without bond.

He was then led from the courtroom and back to the Arapahoe County Jail, where he is being held in isolation. Formal charges are expected to be filed on July 30.

Booking photograph of James Eagan Holmes, accused of killing 12 in Aurora, Colorado Theater Shooting.

Asked whether Holmes was on medication, Arapaho County Undersheriff David C. Walcher said, "Even if I did know, I couldn't tell you."

Inside the courtroom, victims and their relatives watched the proceeding. McKayla Hicks was among them. She was seated in the movie theater next door to the one where the killings occurred when a bullet struck her chin. Though she has largely recovered, she said Monday's court appearance was not easy to observe.

"Once he walked into the room, it just made everything a lot harder," she told CNN.

"He just looks like a pathetic freak," she said. "I just want him put away forever."

Jordan Ghawi, whose sister Jessica was among the 12 fatalities, was not in the courtroom.

"This guy's already had his 10 minutes of fame and I don't need to see the face of the man who's taken my sister's life," he said. "I was afraid that I may try to get my hands on that man."

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He described Holmes as a coward and a genius. "I don't believe for a second that he's sitting there with his wide eyes and pretending to be incoherent," Ghawi said. "He knows what he's doing."

"The charges on which the court found cause included first-degree murder," Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers told reporters outside the courthouse. She said prosecutors have a lot of work to do.

"I would say there's no such thing as a slam-dunk case," she said. "We're still looking at the enormous amount of evidence."

Deciding whether to pursue the death penalty is a long process that involves input from victims and their relatives, she said.

A capital case would require a finding of either extreme indifference or deliberation, she said.

Holmes is being held in connection with the shootings that also left 58 wounded, and the subsequent discovery of his booby-trapped apartment, which authorities think he rigged before leaving for the Century Aurora 16 multiplex.

Authorities have been tight-lipped about a possible motive in the case, and police spokesman Frank Fania told CNN late Sunday that Holmes has been uncooperative with investigators and requested an attorney.

Arapahoe County public defender James O'Connor has been assigned to the case. The Colorado Judicial Department declined to say whether Holmes requested a public defender. A telephone call by CNN to O'Connor's office was not returned.

At the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus, administrators told reporters that Holmes took his preliminary examinations on June 7 and initiated his withdrawal from the program three days later.

"It's very unusual, very unusual for a student to withdraw from our program," Dean Barry Shur told reporters.

Entrance to the program is highly competitive: It generally has 10 applicants for each of the five or six slots that open in any given year, Shur said.

Those who are accepted typically have undergraduate grade-point averages of more than 3.6 and Graduate Record Examination scores exceeding 1,200, he said.

Though all applicants undergo background checks, Shur said he was aware of no program that requires that applicants undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Holmes did not divulge his reason for leaving the program. "That area of the form was left blank," Shur said.

Shur described scientists as "quirky" people.

"We are trained to challenge authority, to challenge what's known." But, he added, "Every laboratory is a team and no scientist is an island. And they have to function productively with their colleagues."

In addition, students in the school's doctoral programs "are very carefully monitored and coached and counseled," he said.

Meanwhile, Lisa Damiani, an attorney representing the Holmes family but not the suspect, said his family members were keeping their location secret. "I don't think they would like the media to know where they are," she said, adding that she feared for their safety.

Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Cynthia Davis, center, visits the roadside memorial set up for victims of the Colorado shooting massacre across the street from the Century 16 movie theater on Monday, July 30, 2012, in Aurora, Colorado. Twelve people were killed in the theater early July 20, 2012, during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises." Suspect James Holmes was taken into custody shortly after the attack. More photos: Colorado movie theater shooting Hide Caption 1 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims People visit the roadside memorial set up for victims of the massacre on Monday. Hide Caption 2 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Visitors pray around a cross at the memorial across the street from the theater on Saturday, July 28. Hide Caption 3 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Jeremy Blocker displays a new tattoo honoring the victims. Hide Caption 4 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Members of Alex Sullivan's family embrace at a memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater on Thursday, July 26. Hide Caption 5 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Hello Kitty-themed flowers are sent to shooting victim Micayla Medek's funeral Thursday in Denver. Hide Caption 6 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Pallbearers carry Micayla Medek's coffin during her funeral at the New Hope Baptist Church on Thursday. Hide Caption 7 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims People visit a memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater on Thursday, July 26, in Aurora, Colorado. Hide Caption 8 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Angella Aquilis, left, and Maria Olivas mourn together at a makeshift memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater Wedesday, July 25. Hide Caption 9 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Yvonne Amaro, 9, prays for those injured and killed as she visits the memorial on Wednesday. Hide Caption 10 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Carrie Hensley, left, and Hailee Hensley mourn together on Wednesday. Hide Caption 11 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Kevin Flynn, left, Aurora Police top brass division chief, and Cmdr. Jack Daluz visit the makeshift memorial. Hide Caption 12 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims A couple embraces as "Dark Knight Rises" star Christian Bale and his wife, Sandra Blazic, wait to place flowers at the memorial on Tuesday. Hide Caption 13 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Bale places flowers at the memorial while other mourners look on. Hide Caption 14 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Visitors pay tribute Tuesday, July 24, at the makeshift memorial. Hide Caption 15 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims A cross stands at the makeshift memorial for victims across the street from the Century 16 theater on Tuesday. Hide Caption 16 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Greg Zanis of Aurora, Illinois, carries two of the 12 crosses he made for a makeshift memorial to the victims of last weekend's mass shooting at the Century 16 movie theater on Sunday, July 22. Hide Caption 17 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Greg Zanis writes the names of the victims of last weekend's mass shooting on the crosses before erecting them at the memorial across from the Century 16 movie theater on Sunday. Zanis, a carpenter, drove all night from Illinois to deliver the crosses. Hide Caption 18 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Parishioners pray during morning Mass, remembering victims of the theater shooting, at the Queen of Peace Catholic Church on Sunday. Hide Caption 19 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Angie Terry of Alabama prays next to a white wooden cross erected for victims. Hide Caption 20 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims A man pauses before the crosses at the memorial near the Century 16 movie theater on Sunday. Hide Caption 21 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims President Barack Obama embraces Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper as Sen. Mark Udall, left, and Sen. Michael Bennet look on during a visit to the University of Colorado Hospital on Sunday. Hide Caption 22 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Mourners bow their heads in prayer during the vigil for the victims of the Aurora shooting. Hide Caption 23 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims A woman is overcome with emotion during the vigil. Hide Caption 24 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Tiffany Garcia, right, and her 6-year-old daughter, Angelina Garcia, cry on Saturday, July 21, as they look at a memorial for the victims of Friday's shooting. Hide Caption 25 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims People pray at a cross erected at the makeshift memorial across the street from the Century 16 theater on Saturday. Hide Caption 26 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Family, friends and former classmates of movie theater shooting victim A.J. Boik gather for a memorial service at Gateway High School on Saturday. Hide Caption 27 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Boik and his girlfriend were at the midnight showing of 'The Dark Knight Rises' when a gunman killed Boik and 11 other people. Hide Caption 28 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Movie theater shooting victim A.J. Boik's girlfriend, Lasamoa Croft, center, embraces his mother during the memorial service. Hide Caption 29 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Eman Alexander, 17, pins a ribbon on his shirt while joining family, friends and former classmates to honor shooting victim A.J. Boik. Hide Caption 30 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Denise Toepel of Denver sheds tears while visiting a makeshift memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater on Saturday, July 21. Hide Caption 31 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Handwritten signs decorate the makeshift memorial across from the Century 16 movie theater on Saturday. Hide Caption 32 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Gerald Wright, 24, relights candles that have blown out at the victims' memorial across from the movie theater. Hide Caption 33 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Aviation Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Jajuan Mangual lowers the American flag on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush to half-mast on Saturday. One U.S. Navy sailor was killed in the shooting and another injured. Hide Caption 34 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Two women mourn near the theater on Saturday. Hide Caption 35 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Alicia Prevette, left, and Paul Stepherson attend a vigil for the victims Friday at the Century 16 movie theater. Hide Caption 36 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims A woman lights a candle at a makeshift memorial where the victims of the massacre are mourned. Hide Caption 37 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Mourners hold hands at a vigil near the theater. Hide Caption 38 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Mourners hug as they grieve the loss of the victims. Hide Caption 39 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims A group of teenagers stand behind a sign that reads "Strength." Hide Caption 40 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Dara Anderson, left, and Monique Anderson cry during a candlelight vigil across the street from the crime scene. Hide Caption 41 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims A woman holds a lit candle at a makeshift memorial. Hide Caption 42 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Marietta Perkins of Denver prays for victims and their families. Hide Caption 43 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Lonnie Delgado, right, hugs Heaven Leek during a prayer. Hide Caption 44 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims A mourner grieves on the curb during a memorial service. Hide Caption 45 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims People hug during a vigil for the victims. Hide Caption 46 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Handwritten consolation letters lie beneath flowers at a makeshift memorial. Hide Caption 47 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Nathan Mendoza, left, and Melissa Clark sit on the grass during a vigil. Hide Caption 48 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Flags, flowers and candles make up a memorial site. Hide Caption 49 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims Two mourners sit on the ground at a vigil. Hide Caption 50 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims A sign prevents moviegoers from wearing masks or bringing in props to the AMC Arapahoe Crossing 16 movie theater in Aurora. Hide Caption 51 of 52 Photos: Colorado massacre: Mourning the victims A woman looks at a makeshift memorial after attending a candlelight vigil. Hide Caption 52 of 52

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"They're doing as well as they can, under the circumstances," Damiani told reporters at her office in San Diego, California, where the family lives. "I think everyone can imagine how they're feeling -- anyone who's ever been a parent."

She added, "The family has elected not to discuss James or their relationship with James at this time."

The family issued a statement Friday saying, "Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved." It added, "We are still trying to process this information."

Over the weekend, Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates told reporters that there was "evidence of, I think, some calculation and deliberation ."

Holmes received deliveries over the past four months at his home and work addresses, which begins to explain how he may have obtained some of the materials used in the attack and those found at his apartment, Oates said.

Aurora is bracing for another emotional week as families begin making funeral arrangements. It was not immediately known when the coroner would release the bodies.

As of late Monday, at least 15 people remained hospitalized -- five in critical condition -- in four area hospitals.