Aurora DA: Plea Deal 'Extremely Unlikely'

Prosecutors slam what they call a publicity stunt
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 29, 2013 3:50 AM CDT
Aurora DA: Plea Deal 'Extremely Unlikely'
Defense attorney Tamara Brady talks to defendant James Holmes during his arraignment in Centennial, Colo., on Tuesday, March 12, 2013.   (AP Photo/Denver Post, RJ Sangosti, Pool)

Prosecutors have all but nixed James Holmes' reported offer of a guilty plea to dodge the death penalty. They're "extremely unlikely" to accept the proposal without "specific access to information" on Holmes that, so far, his team has refused to provide, they say, per the Denver Post. What's more, "there is not—and has never been—an actual or unqualified 'offer' to plead guilty," prosecutors wrote in an angry filing yesterday accusing Holmes' team of a misleading publicity stunt.

The prosecutors' filing, signed by district attorney George Brauchler himself rather than a deputy, also took issue with defense suggestions about a lengthy series of pretrial hearings, among other concerns. Brauchler accused the defense of "an attempt to deliberately prejudice the public, witnesses, and victims against the People." Meanwhile, he called on the judge to reject a defense motion calling for action against the prosecution for allegedly leaking information to the press. Brauchler is poised to announce whether he'll seek the death penalty on Monday. (More Aurora, Colorado stories.)

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