Attorney: Colorado shooter charges difficult to defend

PHOENIX — The man accused of killing a dozen people at a Colorado movie theater is expected to be formally charged Monday and a Valley defense attorney said it’s a hard case to defend.

Michael Kimerer said it’s a “loser case” in many ways, and not guilty by insanity is the toughest defense to put on.

“The best result [alleged shooter James Holmes] can possibly hope for here is there’s some significant mental illness that shows he didn’t know what he was doing and that might keep him from getting the death penalty,” he said.

Kimerer said, based on the video of the accused shooter’s first court appearance and other factors, Holmes snapped.

“The first thing you start thinking about is that this is a guy who had a psychotic break of some kind,” he said. “He has that break and then he’s somebody else really. This case he called himself the Joker. It’s bizarre.”