Possible jurors ask to be excused from theater shooting case

Prospective jurors in the Colorado theater shooting case presented a judge with a number of excuses on Wednesday for not serving on the panel that decides if defendant James Holmes was insane at the time of the deadly attack.

By early afternoon, Judge Carlos Samour had excused 11 people who had doctors’ notes, didn’t speak English, or weren’t residents of Arapahoe County, where the 2012 attack occurred.

However, in a sign of how difficult it might be to get excused, a summons for a woman who reported being “violently ill” and requested an ambulance was only delayed.

A total of 269 potential jurors reported to court Wednesday to begin filling out lengthy questionnaires for prescreening. The figure was about twice as many as Tuesday, the first day of selection.

Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.