James Holmes -- Prosecutors Seeking DEATH PENALTY

James Holmes should DIE ... this according to prosecutors who announced today they are seeking the death penalty for the Colorado movie theater shooter.

Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler explained, "It is my determination and my intention that in this case for James Eagan Holmes, justice is death."

The announcement comes in the wake of a deal offered by Holmes' legal team -- in which the killer would plead guilty to murdering 12 people in exchange for life in prison.

The deal didn't sit well with prosecutors, who RIPPED Holmes' attorneys today ... accusing them of going public with the details of the attempted plea deal last week "for the intended purpose of generating predictable publicity."

Holmes' attorneys are expected to argue that the 25-year-old was legally insane at the time of the shooting and therefore shouldn't be sentenced to death.