A jury in the US state of Colorado spared James Holmes the death penalty after he gunned down 12 people at the screening of a Batman film in 2012. Instead of being sent to death, Holmes will serve a lifetime in prison without the possibility of parole.

The former neuroscience graduate, 27, was insane at the time. The jury agreed that though Holmes was mentally ill, he was still responsible for his actions.

Holmes mother sobbed as the verdict was read out. Another mother, Ashley Moser, whose six-year-old daughter Veronica died in the attack and who was paralysed shook her head. Veronica’s grandfather, Robert Sullivan, said: “He’s living. He’s breathing and our loved ones are gone.”