CENTENNIAL, Colo. – James Holmes appeared just as dazed as he did in his first court appearance last week after the deadly Colorado movie theater shootings.

In a packed Denver-area courtroom Monday, Holmes, 24, sat silently and did not react as he heard formal charges against him, including first-degree murder for each of the 12 who died and attempted murder for each of the 58 people who were injured in one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history.

At one point, a shackled Holmes, still with his hair dyed orange-red, leaned over to speak with one of his lawyers and furrowed his brow.

When the judge asked the former neuroscience student if he agreed with his attorney’s request to delay a future court hearing so his defense team could have more time to prepare, Holmes said softly: “Yeah.”

Some of the people in the court wore Batman T-shirts. Several people clasped their hands and bowed their heads as if in prayer before the hearing. At least one victim attended, and she was in a wheelchair and had bandages on her leg and arm.

Holmes actually was charged with 24 counts of murder, 12 each of murder with deliberation and murder with extreme indifference. Both counts carry a maximum death penalty upon conviction; the minimum is life without parole.

In addition, Holmes was charged with one count of possession of explosives and one count of a crime of violence. Authorities said Holmes booby trapped his apartment with the intent to kill any officers responding there the night of the attack.

A conviction under the crime of violence charge means that any conviction, including life sentences, would have to be served consecutively, not concurrently, said Craig Silverman, a former chief deputy district attorney in Denver.

That ensures that if laws change in the future, the person convicted would still serve a lengthy sentence, Silverman said.

Legal analysts expect the case to be dominated by arguments over the defendant’s sanity.

Attorneys also argued over a defense motion to find out who leaked information to the news media about a package the 24-year-old Holmes allegedly sent to his psychiatrist at the University of Colorado Denver.

Authorities seized the package July 23, three days after the shooting, after finding it in the mailroom of the medical campus where Holmes studied.

A hearing on the matter was set for Aug. 16.