Colorado Shooting: James Holmes Charged with 24 Counts of Murder

James Holmes was formally charged today for the July 20th shooting spree that left 12 dead and 58 wounded at a midnight showing of “Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colo.

The 24-year-old was charged with 24 counts of first-degree murder, two for each victim killed. People explained, “one for allegedly intending to cause harm and the other for allegedly acting with extreme indifference to human life.”

The med school dropout also faces 116 counts of attempted murder, one count of possession of explosives and one for committing a crime of violence.

If convicted, Holmes could spend the rest of his life in prison or land on death row. The district attorney has not made a decision on whether to pursue the death penalty. A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 16.

Photographers were banned from the courtroom, but the Los Angeles Times reports that Holmes looked calm and his wild Joker-red hair was tamed a bit.

The Sun of London says that Holmes dye-job was actually inspired by a prostitute he was sleeping with in the months before the massacre.

“He liked to touch my hair, and he told me the color was good. When I saw after the shootings that he dyed his hair red, it sent a chill down my spine,'' Monica Hall, 25, told the Sun of London.