Some of the families were hoping for a death sentence while others were not so sure since the process takes years.

But the jury rejected his insanity defense, finding Holmes capable of understanding right from wrong when he lobbed tear gas grenades into the crowded theater and randomly opened fire on terrified moviegoers with a shotgun, assault rifle and semi-automatic pistol while dressed head to toe in combat gear. He will instead serve life in jail without the possibility of parole.

Some families began to leave as the judge continued to read the verdict, and Holmes showed no reaction during the proceedings. He closed his eyes and hung his head down.

But finally they were unable to agree a sentence. Holmes sits second from left in a light shirt.

The nine women and three men said they could not reach a unanimous verdict on each murder count. It had been his decision to seek the death penalty.

Samour thanked jurors for their service during the trial which lasted over three months.

The verdict brings to an end a long-delayed, lengthy, and high-profile trial just a little more than three years after Holmes’ rampage in a suburban Denver multiplex put a spotlight on gun control, mental illness and security in public spaces. Official sentencing is scheduled for August 24-26.

The outcome was surprising to many who had followed the trial.

The lead prosecutor in the Colorado cinema shooting case has said he is frustrated that gunman James Holmes did not get the death penalty, but he praised jurors for doing a “hell of a job”.

Holmes’ defence team had argued that the former neuroscience graduate student, who is now 27, had been insane at the time of the shootings.

The July 2012 shooting killed 12 people and injured 70 others. George H. Brauchler, the man who made the final decision and ultimately fought to have the gunman executed for his crimes.

Earlier this week, families of victims were given the opportunity to testify before the court on the impact that the loss of their loved ones had on their lives. “Schizophrenia chose him. He didn’t choose it”, Arlene Holmes told jurors on 29 July. “And I came up short, and that’s my fault, and that’s what hurts…. I still do”.

Robert Sullivan, grandfather of the youngest victim, Veronica Moser-Sullivan, criticized the jury. “But you can get justice to this act”. That automatically eliminated the death penalty for Holmes. “It’s death”.

“The death of all these people cannot be answered by more death”, she concluded.

Court spokesman Rob McCallum said on Twitter after the verdict that “none of the jurors wish to speak with the media today”. “He will be punished”. They talked about giving certain details “the weight of life”.

Before releasing them to deliberate, Samour imparted on jurors the weight of their task.

Brauchler recited the names and ages of the 12 people killed by Holmes and said they were at the heart of the case.

During his trial, experts deemed Holmes mentally ill, but not everyone is buying it. Some believe his diagnosis shouldn’t even be a defense, others call it a hall pass. “I think psychology really has nothing to do with killers, whether it be Ted Bundy or whoever else”, one Erie resident said.