Where Is James Holmes Now? Aurora Shooter's Life Behind Bars

One decade on from the notorious Aurora massacre—that saw a gunman open fire in a movie theater packed with Batman fans as they sat with their popcorn in the dark—those affected by the tragedy are bracing for the grim anniversary of their losses.

James Holmes, then aged 24, slaughtered 12 people, and wounded 70 more, when he stormed a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises on July 20, 2012.

He donned protective gear and hurled gas canisters into the venue before unleashing rounds from an assault rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. Some movie goers later said they had thought at first that the event was a publicity stunt for the film.

But as the movie played, the real life in front of the screen was more horrific and bloody than any crime unfolding in the script, with bodies strewn in the seats and maimed survivors left fighting for their lives.

Holmes, who had studied neuroscience but had recently withdrawn as a Ph.D. candidate, was arrested outside the theater shortly after the attack. His dark hair was dyed neon orange as a sick homage to the evil, green-haired Joker character in the movie, according to ABC News citing police sources.

Some reports said he identified himself as "the Joker" when he was arrested.

Holmes, now aged 34, is currently locked up at the United States Penitentiary, Allenwood (USP Allenwood) in Pennsylvania, according to the Washington Post, citing the Federal Bureau of Prisons records. The high-security prison, which only houses men, is around 165 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

He is considered an at-risk prisoner, under threat of attack from other inmates, with one known assault taking place not long into his prison term.

The murderer had faced 165 charges and the death penalty during his trial, but he pleaded insanity and his life was spared by the jury. Instead, he received a sentence of 12 lifetimes in prison in 2015 and thousands more years added on top of that. He will die behind bars.

He was originally sent to Colorado State Penitentiary, the highest security prison in the state, but in January 2016 he was secretly transferred to a prison out-of-state with no information given about why he was moved.

Officials also refused to disclose his new location, sparking fury from survivors and grieving families of the victims. Some even launched legal battles arguing they had a right to know where their attacker was being kept at any time.

A state committee was divided on the issue, although in 2017 it said the corrections department should have kept the victims better informed, and provided them with more detail about why his location was not being revealed publicly.

It only emerged months later that the reason he had been moved was due to an attack on him by another prisoner. The assault in October 2015 happened while Holmes was housed in isolation. But despite authorities' precautions, another inmate was able to slip through an open security gate and attack him. It is not clear if he was injured.

But, in March 2016, Colorado Prisons Director Steve Hager later told ABC News: "The attack was part of the reason for moving him," he added. "There were many concerns; the attack was part of the concern."

Meanwhile, his surviving victims are still dealing with the legacy of a lifetime of pain or disability as a result of the injuries Holmes caused.

Comics fan Stefan Moton, who had excitedly gone to the screen with his brother Lamar, was left paralyzed from the chest down. Speaking to Newsweek in 2017, he said: "About a half hour into the film, I saw a gas canister arc high across the screen and over the crowded theater. Shots rang out from the front as I felt a bullet hit me. I called out for Lamar.

"Days later I woke up in a hospital, paralyzed from the chest down... For me, there have been surgeries (part of the bullet is still in my spine), and high-tech wheelchairs, and new accessible accommodations and physical therapy."

Despite being insured, he was even forced to launch a fundraising drive to raise cash for medical treatment at one point. He said his life has been "a tough road."

Bereaved parents Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, who lost their daughter Jessica Redfield Ghawi in the attack, are still running an organization they founded called Survivors Empowered to help other families affected by mass shootings.

The couple recently traveled to Uvalde, Texas, after the school shooting there to help the relatives reeling from atrocity. "It's a club that nobody wants to belong to but once you're a part of it, you can't resign. So, you might as well become friends with one another and become another type of family."

Little is known about Holmes' daily life in prison.

Meanwhile, the survivors are still living with their scars and injuries, and bereaved families are still mourning their murdered loved ones as the calendar turns to July 20, 2022—a sad milestone marking a full decade of their grief.