国际英语新闻:Colorado theater shooting suspect makes first court appearance

Once formal charges have been filed, the county will have 30 days to present its full case against Holmes at a "Preliminary Hearing." It will be another 30 days following the preliminary hearing until Holmes' official "Arraignment" at which time Holmes will be required to enter his "plea."

Authorities privately say they won't be surprised if Holmes enters a "Guilty by Insanity" plea, which negates the Death Penalty, sought after by a number of family members.

Prosecuting attorneys say it could take at least six months before the mass shooting suspect will face trial, and perhaps more than a year more before convictions will be rendered.

David Sanchez, a local resident, was outside the Arapahoe County Justice Center, telling reporters he favors a Death Penalty conviction. The midnight movie gunman shot Sanchez's 23-year-old son-in-law Caleb Medley in the head. Sanchez said his daughter was in labor and delivering a baby at the time of the hearing. "We'll let the criminal justice system do its job," an angry Sanchez told a group of reporters outside the courthouse.

Arapahoe County Public Defender James O' Connor has been entered as Holmes' attorney. Once Holmes' arraignment is held, at the earliest by October, the date of the actual trial will be set, and that could be sometime early next year, Arapahoe County officials told Xinhua.

The massacre at the "Century 16" theater at Aurora Town Center that took place during the screening of Batman 3: The Dark Knight Rises was the most deadly shooting over the past five years in the United States.