Prosecutors launch last push for theater shooter's execution

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — The jury in the Colorado theater shooting trial will hear even more heart-wrenching testimony today from those who lost loved ones in the attack, as prosecutors begin their final push to have James Holmes sentenced to death.

It comes after jurors rejected arguments Monday that the former neuroscience student's mental illness should remove the death penalty as an option. They deliberated for less than three hours.

"The case for death is only going to get stronger from this point forward," said Denver attorney and former prosecutor Craig Silverman. "This jury is not going to want to disappoint the families of these victims. ... I'd be very surprised if the verdict was anything other than death."

The same jury swiftly rejected Holmes' insanity defense, deciding he was capable of telling right from wrong when he opened fire during a Batman movie in the Denver suburb of Aurora on July 20, 2012. Their quick decision Monday also bodes well for prosecutors, Silverman said.