Experts: If Holmes found insane, he’s unlikely to be freed

DENVER (AP) — If James Holmes is found not guilty by reason of insanity in the Colorado theater massacre, he would be committed indefinitely to the state mental hospital and could — in theory, at least — be released someday.

But psychiatrists and attorneys say that’s highly unlikely, given the enormity of the shootings and the notoriety they have generated.

“He doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of ever walking off the grounds of the Colorado state hospital,” said Dr. Steven Pitt, a forensic psychiatrist based in Scottsdale, Arizona, who works on criminal cases but is not involved in the Holmes case.

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