Public, media barred from hearing on Holmes' sanity

AP

DENVER (AP) — The judge in the Colorado theater shootings has barred the public and media from hearing pretrial testimony from a psychiatrist who examined defendant James Holmes.

The judge said Friday the testimony would influence potential jurors and make it impossible for Holmes to get a fair trial.

The order also bars victims of the 2012 attack from the hearing.

Holmes pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of killing 12 people and injuring 70. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Holmes underwent a sanity evaluation last summer. The results have not been made public, but prosecutors asked the judge for permission to have other experts examine Holmes.

That request will be argued at hearings next month. The judge's order keeps the public and the media from attending.