The judge in the capital murder trial of Colorado movie-theater gunman James Holmes dismissed a fourth juror on Monday, whose brother-in-law was recently the victim of a shooting and who became emotional in front of other jurors, the Denver Post reported.
Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to multiple counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and explosives charges stemming from 2012, when he opened fire in a suburban theater in Denver , killing 12 moviegoers and wounding dozens.
His lawyers say Holmes, a 27-year-old from California , suffers from schizophrenia.
The juror who was dismissed, Juror 901, first told Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos Samour that a relative of hers was involved in an "accident" that was in the news, and later told him her brother-in-law had been shot, the Denver Post reported.
Her dismissal comes on the heels of Samour's dismissal last week of three other jurors, on the grounds they were tainted by hearing about a prosecutor's message on Twitter.
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District Attorney George Brauchler had sent a tweet that referred to a videotaped interview that a psychiatrist conducted with Holmes.
The judge has repeatedly told jurors not to read media reports or material on social media about the trial, and not to discuss the case amongst themselves or with others.
