CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) - The first time James Holmes appeared in court, he wore chains and an orange jail jumpsuit and looked dazed, with his hair dyed a comic-book shade of orange.
As the first day of jury selection ended Tuesday in the Colorado theater shooting case, it was a far different Holmes at the defense table: The jail uniform was replaced with khakis, an untucked blue shirt with white stripes and a blue blazer. His hair, now a dark brown, was neatly trimmed.
Later in the day, he wore a different shirt.
The former graduate student whose attorneys acknowledge that he opened fire at a midnight "Batman" movie back in 2012 also had a curly, medium-length beard and wore oval-shaped reddish glasses. No restraints were visible, though the judge had ordered him to be tethered to the floor in a way the public couldn't see for the trial.
Holmes' more conventional appearance was an indication that the case was drawing closer to the time when a jury would see the defendant accused of killing 12 people and wounding 70 others at a suburban Denver theater. But first attorneys have to sort through thousands of potential jurors.
Court officials initially summoned a jury pool of 9,000 people, the largest in the nation's history. But that figure later fell to about 7,000 after some summons could not be delivered and some people were excused. The pool will be winnowed to a handful in the weeks ahead.
It could take until June to seat the jurors and alternates for a trial that might last until October.
Holmes, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to murder and attempted murder charges, could get the death penalty if convicted.
It took deputies longer than expected to search and screen the first prospective jurors and bring them into the courtroom. Some of the 130 or so people carried books or newspapers or looked at their cellphones as they waited to pass through a security station in the hallway.
They heard instructions from the judge and began filling out surveys with 77 questions.
Seven prospective jurors were dismissed, either because they showed proof that they live outside Arapahoe County or brought a note from a doctor. One showed up at the wrong trial; prosecutors suspected another of sleeping in the courtroom.
Judge Carlos Samour suggested earlier that attorneys might not have to screen all the prospective jurors before beginning to select panelists. He said the process could stop after a few thousand people are screened if both sides agree they have a large enough pool of people.
Earlier in the day, the defense said it objected to the use of a video during the trial, saying prosecutors gave it to them too late. The video is apparently from the jail where Holmes has been held, but its contents have not been made public.
The judge also went over ground rules for jury selection and the trial, urging attorneys on both sides to be professional and respectful.