Disturbing Holmes Mugshot

James Holmes 

"Dark Knight Rises" massacre suspect James Holmes appeared back in court Thursday, and with his appearance—on the two-month anniversary of the shooting—came the release of his new and equally (if not more) disturbing mugshot.

 The 24-year-old San Diego native appears bright-eyed and short-haired, compared to his previous booking photo, where he sported longer, orange hair and a dazed, exhausted face.

Prosecutors announced in court Thursday that they would no longer pursue access to the notebook Holmes mailed to a University of Colorado professor and psychiatrist in the days before the July 20 mass shooting. The notebook was reportedly "full of details about how he was going to kill people," complete with drawings and illustrations of the massacre.

NBC LA notes that "the court had earlier blocked prosecutors from accessing the notebook, ruling that they could not prove that Holmes did not have a doctor-patient relationship with the psychiatrist, Dr. Lynne Fenton, to whom he had mailed it."

To deter further court delays, prosecutors have relented in their battle for the notebook, adding that they will most likely gain access to it in the future, as they expect Holmes' lawyers to pursue an insanity defense.

Holmes faces 142 counts stemming from the shooting in Aurora, Colorado during a midnight showing of the latest Batman film. The charges include 24 counts of first-degree murder, 116 counts of attempted murder, one count of possession of an explosive device and one count of a sentence enhancer for a crime of violence. A total of 12 people were killed in the methodically planned shooting, and 58 others were injured.

Holmes remains behind bars at the Arapahoe County Detention Center. Status hearings have been scheduled for October 11 and October 25.

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