Lawyers for James Holmes, accused in the 2012 shooting spree inside a Colorado cinema, entered a plea Monday of not guilty by reason of insanity, dpa reported.
Judge Carlos Samour indicated that he would approve the plea, saying that it "would be consistent with fairness and justice," the Denver Post reported online.
Prosecutors argued against accepting the insanity plea, saying that defense attorneys had dragged their feet.
"Our largest frustration is the amount of time it has taken to get to this point," said senior deputy district attorney Jacob Edson, according to ABC News.
Holmes, 25, is charged with murder, attempted murder and other offenses - 166 counts in all - for the July 20 attack on the Century Aurora 16 movie theatre, in which 12 people were killed and more than 70 wounded during a midnight premiere of the Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises.
He appeared impassive in court throughout Monday's hearing, wearing maroon prison overalls and a scruffy beard.
The court had entered a standard not guilty plea on Holmes' behalf at a March arraignment. Lawyers for the former neuroscience student had declined to enter a plea, arguing that pleading insanity might harm his constitutional rights because he would have to undergo a mental evaluation, which could be used as evidence against him.
On Monday they told the court that Holmes had completed a mental evaluation on which to base the insanity plea.
"We now have a diagnosis that is complete," defense attorney Daniel King told the judge, according to ABC News.
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