Jury sees pictures of the scene
Showing pictures of the theatre on the big screen, Mr Brauchler says:
"Through this door comes horror, bullets, blood, brains and bodies."
8.19pm
Prosecutor - 'Holmes set out to slaughter victims'
Prosecutor George Brauchler sets out the horrific events of that "cool July night almost three years ago".He said: Four hundred people filed into a box-like theatre to be entertained, and one person came to slaughter them."
8.10pm
Proceedings resume
Judge Samour has brought the jury back into the courtroom at Arapahoe County District Court
8.06pm
Case has taken almost three years to come to trial
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Holmes walked into the Century 16 cinema in Aurora, Colorado and opened fire on film-lovers watching Batman film The Bark Knight rises.
A total of 12 people - including children - were killed and more than 70 were injured.
7.55pm
Judge calls for 10-minute break
Judge Samour has announced a 10-minute break in proceedings and will continue to make his opening statements when jurors return.
7.50pm
Holmes has changed appearance
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When he appeared in court in the days after the mass shooting he was still sporting the bright shock of orange hair he was reported to have at the time of the killings in July 2012.
7.47pm
Prosecution must prove he was not insane
Judge Samour added that the burden will be on the prosecution to
claim Holmes was not insane and mentally able to take responsibility for
his actions.
7.44pm
Judge tells jurors what constitutes 'insanity' plea
Judge Samour said: "Under Colorado law, a person charged with certain
crimes may plead not guilty by reason of insanity, meaning he is not
legally responsible for the sentences charged. This is saying the
defendant was insane at the time of the commission of the act."This can mean one of two things. One, that he was so diseased he was incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. Or, two - he suffered from a condition of mind that prevented him from forming a culpable mental state."
7.31pm
Jurors options spelled out
Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.At the end of the four-week trial, jurors can decide if the 27-year-old is guilty or not guilty by insanity.
If found not guilty, Holmes is still likely to be detained in a state hospital.
7.22pm
Judge opens proceedings by addressing jurors
Judge Carlos Samour is currently addressing jurors at Arapahoe County District Court on the outskirts of Denver
7.17pm
Holmes appears in the dock
Holmes has changed his appearance since he first appeared in court in July 2012.He now has brown hair and a beard and is dressed in a blue shirt and glasses.
This is his first court appearance since January.
7:11 pm
Trial of 'The Dark Knight killer' to begin in Colorado
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Armed with tear gas and an array of pistols and rifles, James Holmes, 27, carried out the massacre at the premiere of Batman film 'The Dark Knight Rises'.
He was arrested by police officers who found him the car park of the multiplex on the outskirts of Denver, wearing body armour and with his hair dyed orange.
The former neuroscience graduate has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to multiple counts of murder.
His lawyers concede he was the lone gunman, but have said Homes was in the throes of a psychotic episode when he plotted and carried out the attack.
Prosecutors are expected to show the jury gruesome images from the crime scene in a bid to prove Holmes was sane at the time.
He has undergone two court-ordered examinations since his arrest that have produced many hours of video and piles of documents.
Before that evidence is presented, lawyers will begin on Monday by presenting their case to the court.
We will bring you a live stream from court and all the latest updates as they happen.
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