Colorado Suspect Charged With 24 Counts of Murder - KTVN Channel 2 - Reno Tahoe News Weather, Video -

Colorado Suspect Charged With 24 Counts of Murder

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Colorado prosecutors have formally charged a former doctorate student with 24 counts of murder in the shooting at an Aurora movie theater.

Twenty-four-year-old James Holmes appeared Monday and was also formally charged with 116 counts of attempted murder.

Twelve people were killed and 58 people were wounded or injured.

Colorado prosecutors charged the suspect in the Aurora movie theater shooting with multiple counts for each victim to create more options during sentencing, if he's convicted.

James Holmes was charged with 24 counts of murder, two each for the 12 people killed, and 116 counts of attempted murder, two each for the 58 injured.

For the murder charges, one count included murder with deliberation, the other murder with extreme indifference. Both carry a maximum death penalty upon conviction.

A former chief deputy district attorney says a conviction under extreme indifference means that any life sentences would have to be served consecutively, not concurrently.

In addition, Holmes was charged with one count of possession of explosives and one count of a crime of violence, which is a gun charge.

 Holmes was arrested early July 20 outside a Century 16 theater in Aurora during a midnight showing of the new Batman movie.

Legal analysts expect his court the case to be dominated by arguments over his sanity.

Holmes was a student at the University of Colorado Denver before withdrawing last month.

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One of the victims, 26-year-old Jonathan Blunk, was from Sparks. His body returned to Reno on Friday night.

PRIVATE viewing for Blunk's body will be held this Thursday, August 2nd from 11am-1pm, and then a PUBLIC viewing will take place from 1pm-5pm at Mountain View Mortuary located at 425 Stoker Avenue.

His service will be held the next day, August 3rd, at Mountain View Mortuary at 9am. The service is open to the public.

An account has also been set up to help the Blunk family. You can donate at any Wells Fargo branch.

Blunk served three tours in the Middle East, and planned to re-enlist with the goal of becoming a Navy SEAL.

An account has also been established online for all of the victims.

Nearly $2 two million has been donated so far. Just go to http://bit.ly/Mem1D2 to donate.

(The Associated Press also contributed to this report.)

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