James Holmes, the man who is behind the Aurora, Colorado shooting that happened on July 20, 2012 during a midnight film premiere of The Dark Knight Rises, is expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity on Tuesday.

The Stir reported that the key to the trial is whether or not Holmes was fully capable of differentiating right from wrong when he put on a bullet proof vest and a gas mask, and walked into the theater and murdered 12 people while wounding 58 others.

Due to the circumstances, a judge had ruled that in order to attempt to evaluate Holmes, he can be given a "narcoanalytic interview" to try and see if he was sane during the mass killing.

In other words, he could be given what's called a "truth serum," which is a strong combination of drugs that can lower inhibitions to a point where a suspect is supposedly more likely to tell the truth.

The respective tactic was said to have been used by the CIA for a reasonable amount of time in order to interrogate informants. Although studies revealed that the ploy works quite effectively, the site reported that no one can determine whether the findings are scientific.

An insanity plea may be the only way that Holmes can avoid life behind bars or the death penalty, given the evidence that's been presented in the case thus far, reported Newsday.

Prosecutors had laid out their case that Holmes meticulously planned the shooting months in advance, as he had purchased weapons and methodically booby-trapped his apartment to kill anyone who attempted to enter the premises.

During the horrific ordeal, Holmes was allegedly wearing a police-style helmet, gas mask and body armor. He also threw a grenade canister into the theater seats prior to opening fire on the victims.

Tom Teves of Phoenix, whose 24-year-old son, Alex, died while shielding his girlfriend from the deadly melee, spoke to the news publication about Holmes' insanity plea.

"You heard the evidence they have. There is no doubt that he knew what he was doing was wrong, there's no doubt it was premeditated. There's no doubt he did it. Zero. So why are we playing a lot of games?"

Previous footage of James Holmes can be viewed below.

Tags: Dark Knight Shooting Dark Knight Rises