Washington: James Holmes, who allegedly killed 12 people during the screening of `The Dark Knight Rises` at a movie hall in Colorado, United States, has offered to plead guilty and serve the rest of his life in prison to avoid the death penalty.
The deal would bring a swift end to the courtroom battle and circumvent a prolonged debate over his sanity.
According to Fox News, prosecutors have not said whether they would accept the offer, and victims and survivors of the massacre were divided on what should be done.
Melisa Cowden, whose ex-husband was killed in the theatre, said she was resolutely opposed to a plea deal.
Cowden, whose two teenage daughters were with their father when he was killed, said that Holmes did not give 12 people the chance to plea bargain for life.
The attack during a crowded midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" left a dozen people dead and 70 injured.
Prosecutors have said Holmes planned the assault for months, casing the theatre complex in the Denver suburb of Aurora, amassing a small arsenal and rigging potentially deadly booby-traps in his apartment, the report added.
ANI
