Prosecutors in the case against Colorado movie theater massacre suspect James Holmes are dismissing his defense team's offer of a guilty plea as a publicity stunt — and have suggested that it might violate a gag order in the case. Lawyers for Holmes, accused of killing 12 people and wounding 58 in his July 20 attack, said Wednesday that they would have their client plead guilty and spend the rest of his life in prison if prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty. But on Thursday, prosecutors said that wasn't a legitimate offer, called the defense filing "attempts to involve this court in plea negotiations" and "a calculated attempt to improperly inject the issue" into public debate. Meanwhile, Holmes' lawyers have yet to indicate how he might plead; at his arraignment earlier this month, the judge entered a not guilty plea that they could later change, since they were not yet ready to enter a plea.
