James Holmes to wear harness anchored to the floor at trial for Aurora, Colorado theatre massacre

Colorado theater shooting suspect James Holmes will wear a harness anchored to the floor trial scheduled to start in February.

Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. also ruled the jury will not be sequestered during the trial, which is expected to take four months, the Associated Press reported.

The judge said Holmes, accused of killing 12 people at a movie theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora last July, must be restrained because he is charged with violent crimes.

His lawyers said the heavy shackles he has worn on his wrists and feet at pretrial hearings  would make him look guilty to a jury, the AP wrote.

Samour said jurors wouldn't see the harness, as it would be beneath his clothes and the anchoring cable will blend in with computer cables at the defense table.

According to the LA Times, at least 5,000 juror summonses will be issued in the lead-up to Holmes' trial, and the selection of a final panel may take weeks.

Holmes, 25, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to 166 counts of first-degree murder, as well as attempted murder and weapons charges.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

On sequestration, Samour said it would be too costly and would create an undue burden on jurors.