Colorado cinema killer James Holmes transferred to third prison

Denver: Colorado movie theater gunman James Holmes has been moved to a different prison for the third time since his conviction last year for shooting dead 12 moviegoers in 2012, a corrections official said on Tuesday.

Holmes was moved this month under an interstate agreement, which allows transfers from other jurisdictions, the spokeswoman said, but she declined to say why he was moved, if he was transferred out of state or to a federal prison.

Inmates can be transferred for many reasons, including security issues or conflicts with other inmates, Colorado Department of Corrections spokeswoman Adrienne Jacobson said.

"It`s fairly common for high-profile offenders," she said.

Holmes, 28, was convicted in July of murdering 12 people and wounding 70 others at a Denver-area cinema in 2012.

He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and was spared the death penalty.

Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour sentenced him to a dozen consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus a maximum 3,318 years for his conviction on attempted murder and explosive charges.

After sentencing, the one-time neuroscience graduate student was moved to an intake facility in Denver, then to the high-security Colorado State Penitentiary in Canon City, where he had minimal contact with other inmates.

In October, Holmes was assaulted by another prisoner as the two men passed each other while being escorted by prison guards.

Holmes was not injured and prison officials said the other man was punished administratively.

Last month, Holmes was moved to the San Carlos Correctional Facility in Pueblo, a prison that specializes in holding convicts with mental-health issues.

Corrections officials have said Holmes poses ongoing security challenges because of his notoriety.

In a videotaped examination by a psychiatrist that was played for jurors, Holmes said he could hear other inmates calling him "a baby killer and stuff", an apparent reference to his youngest victim, six-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan.