DENVER — Attorneys for accused mass shooter James Holmes filed a motion to a new judge to oversee the case, but their requested was rejected by the very person they sought to remove.
Judge Carlos Samour denied the defense motion calling it “meritless.”
Holmes’ defense has said Samour has targeted them with a “barrage of insults.” They claimed he has used terms describing their work including “apathetic,” “halfhearted,” “lackluster” and “anemic” as proof of a bias.
In his rejection of the motion Samour wrote that he has been frank with his language to avoid ambiguity and is not biased.
Samour said he “stands steadfast by every Order he has issued in this case.”
“Knowing all the relevant facts, and applying the governing legal standard, no reasonable person would harbor doubts about the undersigned’s impartiality,” Samour wrote.
Holmes is accused of killing 12 people and injuring 70 others at a shooting at the Aurora 16 movie theater in 2012.
Jury selection for his trial is expected to start in January.
