“

Was that a waste of time? he asked. When young Cierra Cowden had the courage to take the stand and talk about how she missed waking up to her dad's singing: was that a waste of time? When Sandy Phillips got up and told the jury about Jessica's enthusiasm for life: was that a waste of time? When Tom Sullivan, a man with a larger than life personality, got up and broke down on the stand talking about his close friendship with his son, was that a waste of time? Samour pointed out that with no appeals in sight, this trial has officially wrapped up in just over 3 years, saying that's record time for a death penalty case. Is prison really a much less severe sentence than death? he asked. Holmes will die in the custody of the department of corrections. Samour told the victims that there are no words to adequately describe what they've gone through. I've been doing criminal law for 2 decades and before this case I'd never seen a police officer or first responder break down on the witness stand.