Colorado shooter James Holmes has been ordered by a judge to pay almost $1 million in restitution for the horrific July 2012 rampage that left 12 people dead and 70 injured.
However, Friday’s ruling is considered to be largely a symbolic gesture as it is highly unlikely that he will ever make that much money in prison.
Judge Carlos Samour ordered that Holmes pay $851,493 to the Victim Compensation Fund and $103,385.95 directly to the victims, which is the exact amount the prosecution requested, reported ABC 7 in Denver.
“The Court also orders the defendant to pay restitution for all future expenses incurred by the victims and Victim Compensation as a result of his shocking crimes,” Samour said.
“This includes, but is not limited to, lost wages, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, counseling, psychological care, psychiatric care, prescription drugs, medical services, medical equipment and any other treatment or therapy.”
The shooter was also ordered to pay 12 percent annual interest, which will likely increase the amount to more than $1 million.
“It’s important that we, as a community, hold defendants accountable,” prosecutor Lisa Teesch-Maguire said. “For a crime of this magnitude, frankly us, seeking just less than a million dollars in restitution, is really not an exorbitant amount of restitution.”
On July 16, almost three years after the massacre during a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Holmes was found guilty on 24 counts of first degree murder, two for each of his victims, after a nearly three-month trial. The jury rejected his lawyers’ argument that Holmes was not guilty by reason of insanity.
Holmes, a former doctoral student in neuroscience, walked into the theater 30 minutes into the movie dressed in black tactical gear. He dropped two smoke-emitting canisters and then opened fire on the crowd with a 12-gauge shotgun and a semi-automatic rifle.
The 27 year old is currently housed at the Colorado State Penitentiary in Canon City after being sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the murder charges, and an additional 3,318 years for the attempted murder and explosives possession charges.