tags: terrorist-style attack, mideast muslim suspect, terrorism ruled out, pseudo-commando, black SWAT gear, automatic rifle, bombing, Movie Theater Incidents
July 20, 2012 James Eagan Holmes Aurora Theater Mass Shooting Attack Mass shooting occurred inside of a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises. A gunman, dressed in military style tactical clothing, set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms, shotgun, AR-15 assault rifle and semi-auto handgun killing 12 people and injuring 70 others. The sole suspect, James Eagan Holmes, was arrested in his car parked outside the cinema minutes later. It was the deadliest shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, and had the largest number of casualties of any shooting in U.S. history. Prior to the shooting, the suspect rigged his apartment with explosives, which were defused by a bomb squad one day after the shooting. his attorneys entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Multiple psychiatrists diagnosed him with some form of schizophrenic or schizoaffective disorder or related schizotypal or schizoid personality disorder. His trial began on April 27, 2015. It lasted 11 weeks, after which he was found guilty. Reports by the Daily Mail that he converted to islam in prison as justification for the killings are not considered credible or relevant. (wikipedia) Investigators believe the shooter acted alone and not as part of a terrorist group
*Reference
- James Eagan Holmes - Wikipedia | 2012 Aurora shooting
- James Holmes - Mass Murderer - Biography.com
- James Holmes | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers
*Tags
- Mission:
- Holmes found 'purpose' in Aurora theater shooting - USA Today Jun 1, 2015 - The Aurora theater shooting defendant figured he'd be killed or captured after ... James Holmes gave himself a 1% chance of getting away, Dr. William ... Reid concluded that Holmes is mentally ill but understands the difference between right and wrong, and he knew what he was doing."The mission was to go over to the theater and shoot as many people as possible," Holmes said in one interview with Reid. "The alternative was suicide … doing the homicide got me out of the depression. It gave me a purpose."
- Muslim:
- Daily Mail cites mysterious source that muslim prisoners are upset that Holmes converted to Islam in prison to justify the killings. Dark Knight killer James Holmes 'is now a Muslim who prays five times ... Daily Mail Mar 20, 2013 the gunman behind the Dark Knight massacre in Colorado last July, has reportedly turned Muslim and prays five times a day. The killer showed off a lengthy, thick beard during a court appearance earlier this month, and a prison source has claimed it is a symbol of his new-found faith.The source said Holmes has turned to Islam as a way of justifying his horrific murder spree in an Aurora,
- Aurora, Colo., theater shooter James Holmes converts to Islam ... Washington Times Mar 21, 2013 - The man who shot up an Aurora, Colo., movie theater during a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” last summer has reportedly converted to Islam and prays up to five times a day. A prison source say the beard James Holmes sported in court last months represents his new-found ...
- Alleged Aurora Shooter, James Holmes, Converts To Islam In Jail, Or ... ibtimes reportedly converted to Islam in jail but the report has been criticized for its lack of credible sources.
- Colorado Shooter James Holmes Converts to Islam? (counterjihad) answering The Daily Mail is reporting that James Holmes, the infamous murderer ... to Islam as a way of justifying his horrific murder spree in an Aurora, ...
- Aurora Theater Shooter James Holmes Reportedly Converts to Islam ... FrontPage (counterjihad) prison source say the beard James Holmes sported in court last months represents his new-found faith. The source said Mr. Holmes has ...
- James Holmes' (Dark Knight Killer) Alleged Conversion to Islam ... matters typed in “James Holmes Muslim” and ... Islam and “a way of justifying his horrific murder spreee in Aurora.
- Terrorism
- "Investigators believe the shooter acted alone and not as part of a terrorist group"
- Why isn't the Colorado shooter considered a Terrorist? deans report Jul 22, 2012 - James Holmes is a terrorist. ... How many were killed by Islamic terrorists?
*Reference
*Sources Timeline
James Holmes (mass murderer) - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Holmes_(mass_murderer)
James Eagan Holmes (born December 13, 1987) is an American prisoner convicted of the murder of 12 people and the attempted murder of 70 others in the 2012 Aurora shooting at a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012. Holmes surrendered outside the theater and informed officers he had booby-trapped his apartment with explosives, which were defused one day later by a bomb squad.
Holmes had been a doctoral student in neuroscience at the University of Colorado Denver, which included a class on psychiatric and neurological disorders. He has stated he went into the field partly to understand his own personal difficulties since childhood. In the Spring of 2012, at the Anschutz Medical Campus, Holmes sought help with anxiety from a social worker, who referred him to a campus psychiatrist, who started him immediately on SSRI medication. Holmes had informed both, and a third psychiatrist who joined for two out of seven sessions, that he was thinking about killing people, without specifying individuals or methods. His mental state deteriorated and campus security were eventually warned. Holmes dropped out of his course and no one outside of the university was warned prior to the shooting.
After being stabilized in hospital on antipsychotic and other psychiatric medications, Holmes was declared competent to stand trial and his attorneys entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Multiple psychiatrists diagnosed him with some form of schizophrenic or schizoaffective disorder or related schizotypal or schizoid personality disorder. His trial began on April 27, 2015. It lasted 11 weeks, after which he was found guilty. On August 24, Holmes was sentenced to 12 consecutive life sentences, plus 3,318 years in prison, without the possibility of parole.
Contents
[hide]Personal life[edit]
Holmes was born on December 13, 1987, in San Diego, California.[2] His father is a mathematician and scientist[8] with degrees from Stanford University, UCLA and UC Berkeley and his mother is a registered nurse.[9][10] Holmes and his younger sister were raised in Oak Hills, where he attended elementary school.[11][12] He attended a Lutheran church with his family.[13][14]
When he was 12, the family moved back to San Diego and the Rancho Peñasquitos neighborhood. Holmes went to Westview High School, where he played soccer and ran cross-country, graduating in 2006.[9][15] Westview accepted pupils from anywhere in the Poway Unified School District and a pupil from the time has described it as alternative schooling which was highly competitive and socially isolating.[16]
In Aurora from 2011, Holmes lived in a one-bedroom apartment, in a building with other students involved in health studies.[17] In a rental application for an apartment, he described himself as "quiet and easygoing".[18]
In October 2011, Holmes began dating a fellow student, Gargi Datta, in his biology class.[19] According to Datta, Holmes often made corny jokes that made other people feel uncomfortable. Their relationship lasted for about six months but ended because she only wanted a casual relationship and she felt distant from him.[20] After they broke up, in an online chat, he revealed to her he had thoughts about killing people. Datta said she didn't take this conversation seriously but nevertheless, she told him to seek professional help.[21][22] After the killings, Holmes told a state-appointed psychiatrist that the breakup of his relationship with his girlfriend also "contributed to his violent depression".[23][24] Holmes had no criminal record and was not on any watch list.[25]
Holmes left some digital footprints, like a university email address, an old Myspace photo[26] and a résumé at the employment website Monster.com.[27] According to tabloid sources, he allegedly hired prostitutes and left reviews of them online.[28][29] In the weeks prior to the killings he reportedly made dating profiles on Match.com[30][31] and Adult FriendFinder.[32]
Mental health[edit]
Holmes could be quiet and when he was eight his parents took him to a counselor due to some difficulties interacting with others.[33] He was a high achiever at school, commended for coding work.[34] His mother felt he became sad, which she attributed to the move to San Diego when he was 12, and the family used up health insurance to have several sessions with a clinical social worker. Holmes remained quiet, which he would later explain as trying to not show weakness; his mother recalls the social worker telling her a theory that he was trying not to be happy because he was angry with her about the move.[35] Holmes refers in his shooting notebook to a 'parasuicide' around the time, which his mother noticed and he told her it was a paper cut (reportedly cutting his wrist with cardboard while in the car because he felt ignored[36]), and that he was given a 'clean bill of health', going on to feel homicidal in place of suicidal.[37] According to Holmes' trial lawyer, he attempted suicide in 1999 at age 11.[38]
Holmes' aunt had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, for which she took medication and was occasionally hospitalized, but his father testified he hadn't known his non-identical twin's diagnosis. Holmes' paternal grandfather had experienced mental health problems starting from when he was at the prestigious West point military academy trainee, but his father testified he hadn't known what sort. Holmes' maternal grandfather had been diagnosed with some kind of psychotic disorder.[39][40]
Holmes later reported having childhood experiences of 'nail ghosts' coming out of the walls or banging on the walls at night, though it is not clear from the media reporting whether they were nightmares or night terrors or waking hallucinations.[41][42]
As he got older, those who knew him say he was socially awkward, found it hard to make casual conversation and often answered questions with a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. A university classmate said he was ‘really sweet but painfully shy and lacked self-confidence'.[43] Holmes excelled at computer games, becoming one of the top players at World of Warcraft,[34] an online role-playing game released in 2004.
According to one source, Holmes was depressed and "obsessed with killing for over a decade".[42] However, court-appointed forensic psychiatrist Dr William Reid, who interviewed Holmes in prison said that during these early years, Holmes didn't think about actually killing people, "rather of wishing them dead to escape from awkward social situations".[44]
Holmes met with at least three mental health professionals at the University of Colorado prior to the massacre. Each psychiatrist who assessed him made a slightly different diagnosis. Holmes had some awareness his mental health was deteriorating. Two weeks prior to the shooting, he sent a text message asking a graduate student if the student had heard of the disorder dysphoric mania, and warning the student to stay away from him "because I am bad news".[45]
One of the psychiatrists he saw was Dr Lynne Fenton, the medical director of the school's Student Mental Health Services.[46] Dr Fenton saw Holmes a number of times. A month before the shootings, she reported to the campus police that Holmes had been making homicidal statements.[47] At the trial, she testified that "Holmes told her he wanted to kill as many people as possible, but that she did not believe she had the legal authority to place him on a mental-health hold because he did not specify a target or plan".[48]
Dr Fenton prescribed Holmes sertraline, an anti-depressant which is also used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder and social phobia. The first clear piece of evidence that Holmes' thoughts about killing other people were becoming real was an online conversation with his ex-girlfriend Gargi Datta on 25 March, four days after he was prescribed the sertraline. On 9 April, Dr Fenton doubled his dose and increased it again at their fourth appointment on 17 April.[44] David Healy, psycho-pharmacologist and authority on the side effects of antidepressants, was hired by the defence and interviewed Holmes. He was never called to testify at the trial but told the BBC that the increased dose led to 'psychotic level thinking' and a distinct change in Holmes' personality. Healy said: "These killings would never have happened had it not been for the medication James Holmes had been prescribed.”[49]
On July 19, just hours before the shooting started, Holmes mailed a notebook to Dr Fenton. The notebook detailed his thoughts and plans during the weeks preceding the shooting.[50] The notebook was found in an undelivered package in the Anschutz Medical Campus mail-room.[51] Immediately prior to the shooting, Holmes reportedly called a crisis hotline for mental health with the hopes that someone would talk him out of committing the massacre at the last minute. However, the call was disconnected after nine seconds.[52]
Since the murders, Holmes has been seen by more than 20 psychiatric professionals. During the trial he was on five different medications including Risperidone (an anti-psychotic), Lexapro (an anti-depressant) and Vistaril (an antihistamine with sedative properties used to treat anxiety and tension).[53]
Education and career[edit]
In 2006, Holmes worked as an intern at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies where he was assigned to write computer code for an experiment. Holmes, who was described by his supervisor as stubborn, uncommunicative and socially inept, presented his project to the other interns at the end of the internship, but never actually completed it.[54][55] Holmes wrote of his experiences at the Salk Institute in a college application essay: "I had little experience in computer programming and the work was challenging to say the least. Nonetheless, I taught myself how to program in Flash and then construct a cross-temporal calibration model.... Completing the project and presenting my model at the end of the internship was exhilarating."[56]
Graduating from Westview High School in the Torrey Highlands community of San Diego in 2006,[57][58] Holmes attended the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and, in 2010, received his undergraduate degree in neuroscience with the highest honors.[59][60][61][62] He was a member of several honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa and Golden Key.[63] According to UCR recommendation letters submitted to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC), Holmes graduated in the top 1% of his class with a 3.949 GPA. The UCR letters also described Holmes as "a very effective group leader" and a person who "takes an active role in his education, and brings a great amount of intellectual and emotional maturity into the classroom".[64]
In 2008, Holmes worked as a counselor at a residential summer camp in Glendale, California, that catered to children aged 7–14. There, he was responsible for ten children and had no disciplinary problems.[65]
In the fall of 2010, Holmes was employed at a pill- and capsule-coating factory in San Diego County. One of his coworkers said that Holmes was antisocial, and once acted strangely in a laboratory work station by staring at a wall and not verbally responding, only smirking when his coworker asked if he was okay.[66]
In June 2011, Holmes enrolled as a Ph.D. student in neuroscience at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.[67] He wrote in his notebook that he subsequently mailed to Dr Fenton that he studied neurology because he hoped to fix his own "broken mind."[42]
Holmes was awarded a $21,600 grant from the National Institutes of Health, according to agency records, which was disbursed in installments from July 2011 to June 2012. He also received a $5,000 stipend from the University of Colorado, Denver.[68][69] Though Holmes received a letter of acceptance to UIUC, where he was offered a $22,600 stipend and free tuition, he declined their offer without specifying a reason. Reviewers of Holmes's application at UIUC remembered his application because he submitted a picture of himself with a llama.[64]
In 2012, Holmes's academic performance declined,[70] and he scored poorly on the comprehensive exam in the spring. The university was not planning to expel him; however, Holmes was in the process of withdrawing from the university.[71] Three days after failing a key oral exam at the university in early June 2012, Holmes dropped out of his studies without further explanation.[72] At the time of his arrest, he gave his occupation as "laborer."[73]
Aurora theater shooting[edit]
Events leading to the shooting[edit]
Holmes was a fan of superheroes, including Batman, and his apartment was decorated with Batman paraphernalia.[74] Dave Aragón, an actor from MTV television series Pimp My Ride, stated that Holmes called him twice the month prior to the shooting. Aragón is the writer, director, and star of an upcoming film entitled The Suffocator of Sins, which depicts a vigilante who shoots criminals, and Aragón claimed that Holmes showed interest in his movie's trailer.[75]
According to Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler, Holmes chose the Century 16 theater for his attack because he liked movie theaters and the specific theater had doors that he could lock in order to increase the number of casualties, as well as being in an area where police response would take longer. He specifically chose to attack a midnight screening because he believed fewer children would be present, not wanting to kill them. Holmes allegedly considered other locations for a mass shooting, such as an airport, but ruled it out because an airport would have too much security. He also wrote his reasoning that an attack on an airport would be confused as an act of terrorism, saying, "Terrorism isn't the message. The message is, there is no message."[76][77][78] In addition, he had been considering using explosives, chemical agents, or biological agents in his attack, but rejected the scenario as he thought he might "blow himself up". Holmes had also considered serial killing as an option, but later reasoned it was "too personal, too much evidence, easily caught, few kills."[42]
On May 22, 2012, Holmes purchased a Glock 22 pistol at a Gander Mountain shop in Aurora. Six days later, on May 28, he bought a Remington 870 Express Tacticalshotgun at a Bass Pro Shops in Denver.[79] On June 7, just hours after failing his oral exam at the university, he purchased a Smith & Wesson M&P15 rifle.[72][80] All the weapons were bought legally and background checks were performed.[81] In the four months prior to the shooting, Holmes also bought 3,000 rounds of ammunition for the pistols, 3,000 rounds for the M&P15, and 350 shells for the shotgun over the Internet.[82][83] On July 2, he placed an order for a Blackhawk Urban Assault Vest, two magazine holders, and a knife at an online retailer.[82][84] He also purchased spike strips, which he later admitted he planned to use in case police shot at him or followed him in a car chase.[85]
Shooting and arrest[edit]
On July 20, 2012, police arrested Holmes without resistance while he was standing next to his car behind the Century 16theater, moments after the shooting. Holmes had snuck out an exit door, propped it open, and returned with weapons and other gear, setting off several gas or smoke canisters and then opening fire on the theater audience, killing 12 and wounding 70.[86][87] Media at the time reported the combined casualty figure as the highest for a 'mass shooting' in 'US history', without defining the terms.[88]
According to testimonies during the following trial, Holmes was initially "calm and detached" during the arrest, but became interested in watching the aftermath of the shooting after being placed in the back of a police car.[89] The responding officers recovered several guns from inside the car and the theater.
Once apprehended, Holmes told the police that he had booby-trapped his apartment with explosive devices before heading to the theater.[90][91][92] Police later confirmed the presence of explosives in the apartment.[93][94]
Legal proceedings[edit]
Detention and pretrial court appearances[edit]
Holmes was initially jailed at Arapahoe Detention Center, under suicide watch.[95] He was being held in solitary confinement to protect him from other inmates, a routine precaution for high-profile cases.[96]
Holmes made his first court appearance in Centennial, Colorado, on July 23, 2012, before Judge William B. Sylvester.[97] He was read his rights and no bail was given due to the nature of the charges. A mandatory protection order was issued by the judge. The judge appointed a public defender. Holmes said nothing and never looked at the judge.[98] His appearance and behavior, which was described as "dazed"[99] and "confused"[100] fueled speculation about his mental state.[101] Holmes was represented by the Colorado State Public Defender.[102]
On July 30, Colorado prosecutors filed formal charges against Holmes that included 24 counts of first degree murder, 116 counts of attempted murder, possession of explosive devices, and inciting violence. The multiple charges expand the opportunities for prosecutors to obtain convictions. For each person killed in the shooting, Holmes was charged with one count of murder with deliberation and one count of murder with extreme indifference.[3] Holmes agreed in court to waive his right to a preliminary hearing within 35 days.[103]
On August 9, Holmes's attorneys said their client was mentally ill and that they needed more time to assess the nature of his illness. The disclosure was made at a court hearing in Centennial where news media organizations were asking a judge to unseal court documents in the case.[104]
On September 19, the prosecution filed a motion to add 10 new charges against Holmes and asked to amend 17 others. The additional charges would bring the total counts Holmes faces to 152.[105] Holmes appeared in the Arapahoe County Court house the following day for the first time without his dyed-red hair, but with cropped hair revealing his natural brown color.[106]
On September 28, court documents released by prosecutors say Holmes was revoked access to the University of Colorado campus because he threatened a professor. The university has said Holmes was denied access to non-public parts of the campus because he had withdrawn from school.[107]
On October 11, Holmes's attorneys asked Judge William Sylvester to postpone a preliminary hearing scheduled for November. On October 25, the preliminary hearing was set for the week of January 7.[108]
Holmes' lawyers filed an emergency motion on November 14 to delay a pre-trial hearing, citing an unspecified condition that has left him unable to appear in court: "As a result of developments over the past 24 hours, Mr. Holmes is in a condition that renders him unable to be present in court for tomorrow's hearing." They requested to delay the hearing, which they received. It was rescheduled for December.[109] Evidently, Holmes made various suicide attempts referred to as "half-hearted" in the days before the scheduled hearing on November 15.[110]
Holmes returned to court on January 7, 2013, at which 9-1-1 phone call recordings and videos from the cineplex were presented as evidence, information that up until then had not been released. Holmes' defense team continued to maintain that he is mentally ill.[111] On that same day, it is reported that investigators seized four prescription bottles and immunization records from his apartment when it was searched in July 2012. It was not revealed what the prescriptions were or what they were for. The judge ultimately ruled in October that prosecutors could keep the items.[112]
On January 10, 2013, a judge ruled that the evidence presented is sufficient for Holmes to face trial on all counts with which he has been charged.[113] His plea hearing was delayed until March 2013.[114]
On March 27, 2013, Holmes's attorneys said he would be willing to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty.[115] On March 28, prosecutors said they were not ready to accept Holmes's offer to plead guilty and avoid the death penalty and also criticized the offer as a deliberate ploy by the defense in order to delay the start of the trial.[116][117]
On April 1, 2013, prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty in a trial to start in February 2014.[118] On May 7, 2013, Holmes's attorneys filed their intent for him to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. He made this change in his plea on May 31.[119][120] On May 23, 2013, Holmes's attorneys called the state's insanity-plea rules unconstitutional.[121] On May 29, 2013, the judge ruled about the constitutionality of the laws for insanity-plea questioned by Holmes's attorneys, concluding that the laws are not in violation of the Constitution.[122] On June 4, 2013, the presiding judge accepted his plea of insanity defense.[123]
On August 5, 2013, Holmes was transferred to the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, Colorado.[124] By August 20, 2013, Holmes was no longer detained at Colorado Mental Health Institute;[125] he was transferred back to jail.[citation needed]
Trial[edit]
On February 27, 2014, Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour set the start of Holmes's trial for October 14. However, the trial was delayed to December 8 upon a defense request for a continuance to further evaluate Holmes mental condition.[126][127] On that date, the trial was again postponed as Holmes' lawyers asked for another continuance to further prepare their case and review the paperwork of evidence.[128]
Jury selection eventually started on January 20, 2015, after a request by Holmes's lawyers for yet another continuance was denied.[129] The juror selection process lasted three months and summoned 9,000 candidates, making it the largest jury summons in U.S. history. On April 15, selection ended, with a total of nineteen women and five men serving. There were concerns about the selection of the jurors since at least two from the pool of twelve primary jurors, along with twelve alternatives, had ties to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre: "Juror No. 535", the aunt of a Columbine survivor; and "Juror No. 737", a man who was a student there at the time[130] and also a former friend of the shooters. The trial began on April 27 with opening arguments by the prosecution explaining that Holmes intentionally went to the movie theater that evening with the deliberate intent to kill as many people as possible in a mass shooting spree. The defense opened up their argument by admitting all the facts that Holmes was indeed the shooter, but that he is mentally ill with severe schizophrenia and was never in control of his right mind.[131] Starting on April 28, and over the next few weeks, prosecution testimony included various survivors of the massacre and the after effects it had on the survivors.[132][133]
On May 26, the notebook Holmes mailed to his psychiatrist hours prior to the shooting was presented as evidence. There had previously been intense debate as to whether the notebook was eligible as evidence and should be admitted, since it details Holmes' thoughts. Prosecutors argued the content in Holmes' notebook, which detailed attack plans, proved the shooting was premeditated, while Holmes' attorneys argued that his writing indicated his mental illness.[50]
On May 27, Dr. William Reid, a court-appointed psychiatrist who interviewed Holmes for a total of about 22 hours, testified that Holmes was mentally ill but legally sane, diagnosing him as having schizotypal personality disorder, which is characterized by constricted behavior and difficulties relating to others. Reid and another doctor evaluated Holmes in December 2013, determining him to be legally sane, and that his mental illness did not prevent him from forming intent and knowing the consequences of his actions. Holmes's attorneys tried to call for a mistrial, saying that the jurors heard an unprompted opinion that complicated the legal standard for judging the sanity of a person, but the judge refused to grant the request.[46][134][135]
On May 29, videos of Reid's interviews with Holmes in 2013 were shown to the court. In the videos, Holmes described his social awkwardness and the violent, paranoid thoughts he had been having prior to the massacre.[136] He also stated his belief that he was being followed by federal agents at the time of the massacre and hoped they would apprehend him at the theater before he could act.[137] According to him, he transitioned from suicidal thoughts to homicidal thoughts after becoming depressed from his breakup with Gargi Datta.[20][138][139] On June 8, a second psychiatrist, Jeffrey Metzner, testified that Holmes was mentally ill but legally sane when he plotted and carried out the shooting, and that he suffers from schizoaffective disorder. He interviewed Holmes for a total of 25 hours.[140]
On June 9, the trial came to a standstill after three jurors were dismissed by the judge for violating their orders to not talk about news reports regarding the trial: "Juror No. 872", a white woman in her twenties or thirties with three children; "Juror No. 412", a white woman in her twenties or thirties who is employed with a mental health company; and "Juror No. 495", a white woman in her late twenties to early thirties. Juror No. 872 had begun discussions about sensitive details of the case with the other two jurors outside of the court on at least two occasions.[141][142] Two days later, Holmes's attorneys requested the dismissal of a fourth juror after her brother-in-law was shot during a robbery the previous day, and other jurors had seen her crying. Judge Carlos Samour responded that he would consider it, and agreed to the motion by dismissing her on June 15. On June 17, a fifth juror was dismissed after Judge Samour was advised that she personally knew a wounded victim of the shooting.[143][144]
On June 19, the prosecution called as their last witness Ashley Moser, the mother of slain victim Veronica Moser-Sullivan, who was critically injured and paralyzed in the shooting. Afterwards, they rested their case.[145]
On July 9, Samour asked Holmes if he would testify in court, and advised him of his rights to do so. Holmes chose not to testify.[146]
On July 10, the defense showed two videos of Holmes's strange behavior in his jail cell. One video showed him running and slamming his head against the wall before sitting down, while the other showed him tethered to a bed while naked, attempting to cover his head with a blanket and then a sheet. Afterwards, they rested their case.[147]
On July 14, closing statements were made following a delay that resulted when the defense claimed some of the images planned to be shown to the jury by the prosecution were improper. The judge ordered for some of the slides to be changed or removed, explaining that they misstated or exaggerated the evidence.[133][148]Jury deliberations began on July 15 and continued into July 16.[133]
Verdict and sentencing[edit]
On July 16, after deliberating for over twelve hours, the jurors found Holmes guilty on all twenty-four counts of first-degree murder, 140 counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of possessing explosives, and a sentence enhancement of a crime of violence.[149] They began deciding his sentence on July 22.[150][151] The court expected the sentencing phase to last for one month.[152] Holmes declined to make an allocution statement.[153] On July 23, the jury ruled that Holmes acted in a cruel manner, was lying in wait, and ambushed his victims during the shooting, which constitute as aggravating factors. However, the jurors decided that Holmes did not intend to kill children when he opened fire.[154]
On July 27, Holmes' sister testified that her brother became withdrawn from the family after they moved from Salinas to San Diego during his early teenage years. On July 28, Holmes' father pleaded for his son's life, stating that he is severely mentally ill and does not deserve to die, regardless of his crimes. He displayed photos of camping trips and family vacations with Holmes to the jury.[155] On July 30, Holmes' lawyers made a final appeal to the jurors, urging them to consider mental illness in his sentencing despite their rejection of the insanity defense used in the trial.[156] The appeal for clemency was rejected on August 3, under the basis that mitigating factors such as mental illness did not outweigh aggravating factors such as the number of casualties in the massacre.[157][158]
On August 7, Holmes was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after jurors failed to unanimously agree on a death sentence. Soon afterwards, one juror made statements which were interpreted by the DA and then by media, as indicating only one 'holdout' juror was opposed to the death penalty for Holmes, while two other jurors were uncertain.[6][159][160] Another distressed juror subsequently came forward anonymously and clarified that in fact three jurors were firmly against the death penalty due to the evidence of a delusional mental illness.[161][162] Formal sentencing began on August 24 and ended on August 26.[163] On August 26, Samour formally sentenced Holmes to 12 life sentences without the possibility of parole for the murder charges, and an additional 3,318 years for the attempted murder and explosives possession charges.[7]
Restitution[edit]
On December 4, 2015, Judge Carlos Samour ordered Holmes to pay $955,000 in restitution to the victims. The judgment ordered $851,000 of the restitution to be sent to the state victim compensation fund, and $103,000 to be paid directly to the victims.[164]
Imprisonment[edit]
In September 2015, Holmes was moved to the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City. According to authorities, they have not determined what facility Holmes will be ultimately incarcerated at, but say it is possible he may be moved out of state due to his high profile.[165]
On October 8, 2015, Holmes was assaulted by another inmate, identified as Mark Daniels, who was convicted of auto theft. Daniels attacked Holmes after a prison guard inadvertently opened a gate separating the two of them; he struck Holmes twice before being subdued by prison staff. At the time, Holmes was not allowed interaction with other inmates. As a result of the attack, he was secretly transferred to an undisclosed location out of the state.[166] On September 28, 2017, it was confirmed that Holmes's current location was the United States Penitentiary, Allenwood in Pennsylvania.[167]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Ross French (July 20, 2012). "Information regarding James Eagan Holmes". UCR Today. University of California, Riverside. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ^ ab "Profile: Aurora cinema shooting suspect James Holmes". BBC. July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ ab Riccardi, Nicholas; Banda, P. Solomon (July 30, 2012). "Colo. Suspect Charges: Murder, Attempted Murder". Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- ^ Barajas, Joshua (April 27, 2015). "'Through this door is horror': Opening statements begin in theater shooting trial". PBS News Hour. Retrieved April 27,2015.
- ^ Healy, Jack (August 7, 2015). "A Life Sentence for James Holmes, Aurora Theater Gunman Who Killed 12". The New York Times. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ^ ab Sickles, Jason (August 7, 2015). "Theater shooting verdict: James Holmes sentenced to life in prison". Yahoo! News. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ^ ab Hickey, Chuck (August 26, 2015). "Max: Aurora theater shooter gets 12 life sentences plus 3,318 years". FOX31. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ Peter Rowe and John Wilkens (July 20, 2012). "Quiet, unassuming San Diegan accused of mass murder". U-T San Diego. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
- ^ ab Peter Rowe and John Wilkens (July 20, 2012). "Quiet, unassuming, San Diegan accused of mass murder". UT San Diego. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
- ^ Stickney, R.; Fry, Wendy (July 24, 2012). "Holmes Family Stands by Son: Attorney". NBC San Diego. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
- ^ Wallis, Daniel; Coffman, Keith (July 29, 2015). "Water parks and piano class: Colorado movie gunman's childhood". Yahoo! News. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ^ "Castroville classmates stunned: As a youth James Holmes was 'friends with everybody'". The Salinas Californian. July 23, 2012. Archived from the originalon 2015-04-04.
- ^ "Pastor: Colo suspect was shy boy driven to succeed". Sacramento Bee. Associated Press. July 22, 2012. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012.
- ^ Simon, Stephanie (July 22, 2012). "Colorado shooter: a high achiever's abrupt descent". Reuters.
- ^ Susan Gembrowski, Marisol Bello and Trevor Hughes (July 21, 2012). "A closer look at Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes". USA Today. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
His family still lives in the two-story white house with a red-tiled roof where he grew up. The house is less than three miles from Westview High School where he graduated in 2006.
- ^ Miles, Kathleen; Moye, David (2012-07-23). "James Holmes' San Diego Upbringing Examined As He Faces Trial In Batman Shooting Of 71 (VIDEO, PHOTOS)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ^ Castillo, Mariano (July 21, 2012). "James Eagan Holmes: Aurora, Colorado shooting suspect: Who is he?". WPTV News Channel 5. West Palm Beach, FL. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012 – via CNN.
- ^ Williams, Pete; Dedman, Bill; NBC News staff (July 21, 2012). "Aurora suspect James Holmes was buying guns, dropping out of graduate school". US news on NBCNews.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013.
- ^ Healy, Jack (11 June 2015). "James Holmes's Ex-Girlfriend Recalls Awkwardness and Ghoulish Remarks". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ ab "James Holmes Took First Love to Horror Movie Fest, She Testifies in Aurora Trial". ABC News. June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
- ^ "Theater shooting trial: James Holmes' ex-girlfriend Gargi Datta begins to testify Wednesday". The Denver Channel. June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
- ^ "Theater shooter's ex: 'I didn't see a future with him'". Yahoo! News. June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ^ "Theater Shooter James Holmes; Ex-Girlfriend: 'He Liked Me More Than I Liked Him'". National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). 10 June 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
In the earlier video, Holmes told a state-appointed psychiatrist that he contracted mononucleosis in late 2011 and became depressed and lacked energy because of his subsequent breakup with his girlfriend. "My mind was kind of falling apart," Holmes told Dr. William Reid in the interview at a state mental hospital two years after the attack.
- ^ Silverstein, Jason (11 June 2015). "James Holmes' ex-girlfriend testifies in trial for Aurora shooting: 'I think he liked me more than I liked him'". New York Daily News. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
Holmes professed his love for Datta and said their breakup also contributed to his violent depression, in a filmed psychiatric interview shown earlier in the trial.
- ^ Linshi, Jack. "6 Things to Know About Aurora Movie Theater Shooter James Holmes". Time. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
- ^ Stern, Joanna (July 20, 2012). "James Holmes: Colorado Shooting Suspect Had Few Digital Fingerprints". ABC News. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ "COLORADO: At UC Riverside, Holmes led enigmatic life | Local News | PE.com". 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
- ^ "Prostitute Calls Colorado Shooting Suspect 'Really Nice'; He Felt Bad Her Business Was Slow". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
- ^ "Prostitute Says 'Dark Knight' Suspect Threatened Her During Sex". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
- ^ "The Match.Com Profile". TMZ.com. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
- ^ Rogers, Abby (23 July 2012). "Alleged Shooter James Holmes Bragged Of 'Soul Penetrating Eyes' On Dating Website". Business Insider. Retrieved 9 September2016.
In his profile, Holmes described himself as an agnostic man who "definitely" wants kids, only drinks "socially," and doesn't smoke.
- ^ "Shooting Suspect James Holmes Had An Adult Friend Finder Profile With A Cryptic Message". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
- ^ "A guide to mental health professionals who saw theater shooting gunman". The Denver Post. 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
- ^ ab O'Neill, Ann (August 3, 2015). "From happy boy to mass murderer: James Holmes' life story weighed by jury". CNN. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ "BBC Panorama: Interview with Holmes' parents". www.bbc.co.uk. 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
- ^ "Water parks and piano class: Colorado movie gunman's childhood". Retrieved 2017-09-17.
- ^ Ganga, Maria L. La (2015-05-27). "Colorado theater shooter James Holmes' notebook: Attack plans and ramblings". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
- ^ Associated Press (April 27, 2015). "The Latest: Courthouse empties after Day 1 of Holmes trial". Associated Press. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
Daniel King said during opening statements Monday that Holmes was a normal child through elementary school but began to have mental health problems in middle school. He says Holmes attempted suicide in 1999.
- ^ CNN, Ann O'Neill, Ana Cabrera and Sara Weisfeldt,. "From witness stand, Holmes' dad tries to reach son - CNN". CNN. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
- ^ Ganga, Maria L. La (2015-05-04). "Parents of Colorado theater gunman James Holmes keep a lonely vigil". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
- ^ News, A. B. C. (2015-06-05). "Key Findings From James Holmes Evaluation Interviews". ABC News. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
- ^ ab c d CNN, Ann O'Neill, Ana Cabrera and Sara Weisfeldt. "A look inside the 'broken' mind of James Holmes". CNN.
- ^ "Colorado killer's psychiatrist 'had troubled past, including being disciplined for prescribing herself Xanax, her husband Ambien and a colleague Vicodin'".
- ^ ab "The Batman Killer - a prescription for murder?". BBC News.
- ^ Goode, Erica; Kovaleski, Serge F.; Healy, Jack; Frosch, Dan (26 August 2012). "Before Gunfire, Hints of 'Bad News'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012.
- ^ ab "Aurora Shooting Trial: 10 New Things From 22 Hours of James Holmes Psychiatric Evaluation Interviews". ABC News. June 5, 2015. Retrieved June 5,2015.
- ^ "Psychiatrist told campus police before Colo. theater attack Holmes had homicidal thoughts". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2013.[dead link]
- ^ Coffman, Keith (September 2, 2015). "Psychiatrist for Colorado movie gunman thought mental hold might 'inflame' him". Yahoo! News. Retrieved September 3,2015.
- ^ The Batman Killer - a presription for murder BBC
- ^ ab "Colorado Theater Shooting Trial: Holmes' Notebook to Take Center Stage". ABC News. May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ^ "'Chilling notebook' first reported by FoxNews.com revealed at James Holmes trial". FOX News. May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
- ^ "Gunman says he tried calling crisis line before shootings". Yahoo! News. June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^ Aurora Shooting Trial: 10 New Things From 22 Hours of James Holmes Psychiatric Evaluation Interviews
- ^ "Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes was an 'unusually bad intern'". The Christian Science Monitor. July 23, 2012.
- ^ "Suspected Aurora shooter James Holmes brilliant? Not by a long shot, says former Salk Institute supervisor John Jacobson". New York Daily News. July 23, 2012.
- ^ Holmes, James. "Resume submitted to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign" (PDF). Reuters. p. 11. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ^ "A closer look at Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes". USA Today. July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- ^ Lohr, David (July 20, 2012). "Colorado Shooting: What We Know About James Holmes (UPDATED)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ Whitaker, Bill (July 20, 2012). "James Holmes "smart" but "quiet," teachers and neighbors say". CBS News. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ Burnett, Sara (July 21, 2012). "Theater shooting suspect: A quiet man who authorities say harbored a deadly plan". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 21,2012.
- ^ Stickney, R.; Tevrizian, Megan; Powell, Brandi (July 20, 2012). "Westview HS Graduate 'Acted Alone' in Deadly Rampage: Investigators". NBC San Diego. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ "Chancellor Timothy P. White Press conference video". University of California, Riverside.
- ^ "Aurora suspect James Holmes was buying guns, dropping out of graduate school". MSNBC. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- ^ ab "Man accused in Colo. shooting was accepted to UIUC". 5 NBC Chicago. August 10, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
- ^ Dedman, Bill (July 21, 2012). "Photos of James Holmes, camp counselor for underprivileged kids". NBC News. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ Coffman, Keith (June 29, 2015). "Coworker recalls Colorado movie massacre gunman acting 'spaced out'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
- ^ "Shooting Suspect Was Graduate Student At Colorado Medical School". WLEX-TV. July 20, 2012.
- ^ "James Holmes received thousands from grad-school grants ahead of deadly Aurora shooting". CBS News. CBS This Morning. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- ^ "University: CO shooting suspect had federal grant". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
- ^ Leonnig, Carol D.; Achenbach, Joel (July 20, 2012). "James Holmes, held in Colorado shooting, had academic promise but was struggling". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ "Statement from the university on James Holmes". University of Colorado Denver. July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- ^ ab Harris, Dan (July 25, 2012). "James Holmes Bought Rifle After Failing Oral Exam at University of Colorado". ABC News. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
- ^ Sickles, Jason (August 9, 2012). "Judge accused of creating 'unusual shroud of secrecy' in movie theater shooting case". Yahoo News.
- ^ Quinones, Sam; Murphy, Kim; Mozingo, Joe (22 July 2012). "Profile of Aurora shooting suspect keeps getting murkier". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "MTV Star Claims Alleged Aurora Theater Shooter Called Him Prior To Massacre". CBS. August 1, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
- ^ Perry, Dave (April 29, 2015). "Aurora Theater Shooting Trial: Day 1". Aurora Sentinel.
- ^ "James Holmes' notebook read to jury in Colorado movie massacre trial". CNN. May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ^ "James Holmes Picked Midnight Movie To Avoid Shooting Children, Psychiatrist Says". Huffington Post. June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ Castillo, Michelle (July 20, 2012). "Colo. shooter purchased guns legally from 3 different stores". CBS News. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- ^ "James Holmes appears in court being accused of killing 12 people in Aurora cinema shooting | BelleNews.com, Latest News". Bellenews.com. July 23, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
- ^ Moreno, Ivan. "Police: Colo. Shooting Suspect Bought Guns Legally". ABCNews.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- ^ ab "Suspect Bought Large Stockpile of Rounds Online". The New York Times. July 22, 2012.
- ^ "Aurora Gunman's Arsenal: Shotgun, Semiautomatic Rifle and, at the End, a Pistol". The New York Times. July 23, 2012.
- ^ "Colo. shooting suspect used Internet for arsenal". Associated Press. July 23, 2012.[dead link]
- ^ Gurman, Sadie (June 1, 2015). "On video, theater gunman says killings got him 'value units'". Yahoo News. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ "Timeline: Colorado theater shooting". CNN. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ^ "Officials release complete list of injured victims in Aurora massacre". Fox News. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ^ "Before Gunfire, Hints of 'Bad News'". The New York Times. August 27, 2012.
- ^ "Police Say James Holmes Was Keenly Interested In Aftermath Of Theater Shooting". Huffington Post. May 1, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ Sandell, Clayton; Dolak, Kevin; Curry, Colleen (July 20, 2012). "Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: Suspect Bought 4 Guns, 6,000 Rounds of Ammunition in Past 60 Days". ABC News. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ "70 Shot In Movie Theater Mass Shooting; 12 Killed". The Denver Channel. July 20, 2012. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ Minshew, Charles (July 20, 2012). "Map: Aurora theater shooting, suspect's apartment, hospitals". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ "Colo. suspect's apartment 'booby-trapped'". Clinton News-Record. Reuters. July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ "Colo. shooting suspect James Holmes' apartment booby trapped, police say". CBS News. July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
- ^ Lysiak, Matthew; Arkin, James; Mcshane, Larry (July 21, 2012). "Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes jailed in solitary: 'All the inmates were talking about killing him'". Daily News. New York. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
- ^ "James Eagan Holmes will appear in court on Monday". Global Post. July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ "Watch Theater Shooting Suspect's First Court Appearance". YouTube. July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ "Formal charges coming in a week in Colorado shootings". CNN. July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
- ^ "James Holmes makes court appearance in Colorado theater shooting". The Los Angeles Times. July 23, 2012. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012.
- ^ "Shooting suspect's court appearance puzzles many". The Detroit News. July 25, 2012.[dead link]
- ^ "Court appearance fuels theories about Colorado shooting suspect". CNN. July 25, 2012.
- ^ Tenser, Phil (July 23, 2015). "Aurora movie theater shooting: Attorneys who'll be trying to prove James Holmes' guilt or innocence". ABC 7. Retrieved July 23,2015.
- ^ John Ingold (July 30, 2012). "James Holmes faces 142 counts, including 24 of first-degree murder". The Denver Post. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
- ^ Banda, Solomon. "LAWYERS: COLO. SHOOTING SUSPECT IS MENTALLY ILL". Associated Press.
- ^ Ingold, John (September 19, 2012). "Prosecutors seek to add 10 charges against theater shooting suspect". The Denver Post. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ^ Stephen Rex Brown (September 20, 2012). "James Holmes has brown hair now". The New York Daily News. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
- ^ Gary Strauss (September 28, 2012). "Prosecutors: Shooting suspect threatened professor". USA Today. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- ^ Coffman, Keith (October 25, 2012). "Preliminary hearing in Colorado movie rampage case set for January". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- ^ "Accused Colorado gunman cannot attend court due to condition: lawyer". Reuters. November 14, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- ^ "Colorado massacre suspect has made half-hearted suicide attempts". CBS News. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
- ^ "Accused Colo. Shooter James Holmes Hearing Set". Abcnews.go.com. January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ Ingold, John (January 7, 2013). "Aurora theater shooting: Cops took pill bottles from Holmes' apartment". The Denver Post.
- ^ "Judge rules James Holmes should face trial in Colorado massacre". Fox News. January 10, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ^ "Judge Delays Arraignment In Colo. Theater Shooting". Associated Press. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ^ Winter, Michael (March 27, 2013). "James Holmes offers guilty plea to avoid death penalt". USA Today. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ "Prosecutors Criticize Holmes' Guilty Plea Offer, Call It A Ploy". CBS Denver. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ^ "Prosecutors Not Ready to Agree to Holmes Plea". Associated Press. March 28, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^ Hughes, Trevor; Strauss, Gary (April 1, 2013). "Death penalty sought for James Holmes; trial set for Feb. 2014". USA Today. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
- ^ "Attorneys: Holmes plans insanity plea in Aurora shootings". CNN. May 8, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- ^ Hughes, Trevor (May 13, 2013). "Holmes asking judge to change plea to insanity". USA Today. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ Gurman, Sadie (May 23, 2013). "James Holmes' attorneys say insanity-plea rules are unconstitutional". Denver Post.
- ^ Ingold, John (May 29, 2013). "James Holmes trial: Judge clears insanity plea's constitutionality". Denver Post.
- ^ Muskal, Michael. "Judge allows plea of not guilty by insanity for James Holmes". LA Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ "Suspect Holmes at CMHIP". The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- ^ "Holmes transferred from Pueblo's state mental hospital". www.chieftain.com. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ^ Ingold, John (February 27, 2014). "Judge sets October trial for James Holmes in Aurora theater shooting". The Denver Post. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ^ "Judge sets new Dec. 8 trial date for James Holmes Archived August 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine." The Denver Channel, July 22, 2014.
- ^ "Judge considering another James Holmes trial delay". Fox News. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ^ Los Angeles Times (January 20, 2015). "Jury selection gets underway in Colorado theater massacre trial". latimes.com. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
- ^ "Details emerge about jury picked for Colorado theater shooting trial". Yahoo! News. April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
- ^ Raquel Villanueva and Associated Press, news source (April 26, 2015). "Aurora theater shooting trial adjourns for day". 9News.
- ^ Maria L. La Ganga (28 April 2015). "James Holmes trial: 'It was a pool of blood my face was in ... somebody else's'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ ab c "Theater trial jury begins second day of deliberations". 9News. July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ Elliot, Dan (May 27, 2015). "Psychiatrist: Colorado shooter knew what he was doing". Associated Press. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
- ^ "Colorado Killer James Holmes's Notes: Detailed Plans vs. 'a Whole Lot of Crazy'". The New York Times. May 28, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
- ^ "James Holmes recalls his state of mind before Colorado shooting". CBS News. May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
- ^ "Aurora shooter James Holmes loved comedies, hoped feds would lock him away before killing spree". New York Daily News. May 30, 2015. Retrieved May 30,2015.
- ^ "The Latest: Holmes Says Depression Drove Him to Kill". ABC News. May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
- ^ "Dark Knight gunman said he hoped FBI would STOP him before Colorado theater massacre... and said his 'mind was falling apart' after breaking up with girlfriend". Daily Mail. May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
- ^ Coffman, Keith (June 8, 2015). "Second psychiatrist concludes Colorado cinema gunman was sane". Reuters. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ^ "James Holmes Trial: Three Jurors Dismissed After Talking About Case". NBC News. June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ "Judge in Colorado theater shooting trial dismisses 3rd juror". Yahoo! News. June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ^ "Theater shooter's ex asked him to see therapist". Yahoo! News. June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ^ Coffman, Keith (June 17, 2015). "Judge dismisses fifth juror in Colorado movie theater shooting trial". Yahoo! News. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- ^ "Woman who lost everything caps prosecution in Holmes trial". CBS News. June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
- ^ Verccamen, Paul; Almasy, Steve (July 9, 2015). "Movie theater gunman says he will not testify". CNN. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
- ^ Elliott, Dan (July 10, 2015). "Defense in Colorado theater shooting trial rests its case". Yahoo! News. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
- ^ Gurman, Sadie (July 14, 2015). "Lawyers in theater shooting trial make final appeals to jury". Yahoo! News. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
- ^ "James Holmes Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder in Colorado Theater Mass Shooting, Shows No Reaction". KTLA-TV. July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- ^ Elliott, Dan; Riccardi, Nicholas (July 17, 2015). "Holmes will join many other mentally ill inmates in prison". Yahoo! News. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
- ^ Coffman, Keith; Wallis, Daniel (July 22, 2015). "Colorado death penalty in focus as massacre trial enters new phase". Yahoo! News. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ^ Villanueva, Raquel (July 17, 2015). "Sentencing phase to start next week". 9News. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
- ^ Padilla, Anica (July 21, 2015). "Convicted gunman in Aurora movie theater shooting will not speak during first sentencing phase". The Denver Channel. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ LaGanga, Maria L. (July 23, 2015). "James Holmes jury find aggravating factors exist, moves on to second phase". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 23,2015.
- ^ "Father of Colorado movie gunman pleads with jury for his life". Yahoo! News. July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- ^ Gurman, Sadie (July 30, 2015). "James Holmes Defense Make Final Appeal For Mercy". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
- ^ "James Holmes moves closer to death penalty verdict". BBC News. August 3, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ Calamur, Krishnadev (August 3, 2015). "Why James Holmes Is a Step Closer to Facing the Death Penalty". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
- ^ "James Holmes sentenced to life in prison in the Aurora theater shooting". The Denver Post. August 7, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ^ "Aurora theater shooting juror: One juror refused death penalty". The Denver Post. August 7, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ "Aurora theater shooting juror breaks silence, says 3 voted for life". The Denver Post. 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ KRISTEN NELSON, TAMARA BRADY, AND DANIEL KING. "THE "EVIL" DEFENDANT AND THE "HOLDOUT" JUROR: UNPACKING THE MYTHS OF THE AURORA THEATER SHOOTING CASE AS WE PONDER THE FUTURE OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN COLORADO". DENVER LAW REVIEW. 93:3.
- ^ Fieldstadt, Elisha; Rascon, Jason (August 7, 2015). "Aurora movie theater shooter James Holmes to be sentenced to life in prison". NBC News. Retrieved August 7,2015.
- ^ Wyatt, Kristen (December 7, 2015). "Colorado theater shooter ordered to pay $955K in restitution". Associated Press. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
- ^ Coffman, Keith (September 11, 2015). "Cinema massacre gunman moved to Colorado state penitentiary". Reuters. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ^ "Exclusive: Inside the Prison Assault on Aurora Theater Shooter James Holmes". ABC News. March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- ^ Nicholson, Kieran (28 September 2017). "Aurora theater shooter relocated to high-security federal prison in Pennsylvania". The Denver Post. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
External links[edit]
- 1987 births
- Living people
- 21st-century American criminals
- American mass murderers
- American people convicted of murder
- American prisoners and detainees
- American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
- Criminals from California
- Criminals from Colorado
- People convicted of murder by Colorado
- People from Aurora, Colorado
- People from Salinas, California
- People from San Diego
- People with schizotypal personality disorder
- Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Colorado
- University of California, Riverside alumni
- University of Colorado Denver alumni
James Holmes formally sentenced to life plus 3,318 years - CNN
www.cnn.com/2015/08/26/us/james-holmes-aurora-massacre.../index.html
Aug 27, 2015 - Theater shooter Holmes gets 12 life sentences, plus 3,318 years. ... (CNN)A Colorado judge formally sentenced James Eagan Holmes to multiple life terms plus thousands of years in prison for the Aurora movie theater massacre that killed 12 and wounded 70. ... James Holmes appears in court ...
May 26, 2015 Prosecutors introduce key notebook in Aurora theater shooting trial The Denver Post Both sides in the trial have described the notebook as a kind of interpretive key to the attack at the Century Aurora 16 movie theater that killed 12 people and wounded 70 others. To prosecutors, who contend Holmes was sane at the time of the attack ... words were written in red ink. Page 27: "1. What is the meaning of life? 2. What is the meaning of death?" Page 35: "The obsession to kill since I was a kid with age became more and more realistic." Page 54: "Embraced the hatred." Prosecutors in theater shooting systematically building case that James Holmes was sane Fox News Prosecutors in the Colorado theater shooting are steadily moving toward the heart of their case: the testimony of two court-appointed doctors expected to say James Holmes was sane when he opened fire on a packed midnight showing of a Batman movie. terrorist inspired notebook Holmes kept, with scribbled maps and cramped handwriting that sketched out a chilling list of choices: mass murder or serial murder, attack a theater or an airport, use guns, bombs or biological warfare. It details which auditoriums in the theater complex had the fewest exits and offered the least chance he would be detected. One map shows the theater complex and a nearby police station and National Guard building. "ETA response (is about) 3 mins.," Holmes wrote.
*Muslim
Daily Mail cites mysterious source that muslim prisoners are upset that Holmes converted to Islam in prison to justify the killings.
Aurora, Colo., theater shooter James Holmes converts to Islam The Washington Times Mar 21, 2013 - The man who shot up an Aurora, Colo., movie theater during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" last summer has reportedly converted to ...
Dark Knight killer James Holmes 'is now a Muslim who ...Daily Mail Mar 20, 2013 - A prison source said Holmes has turned to Islam as a way of justifying his horrific murder spree in an Aurora, Colorado cinema last year, which ... But his new routine has upset Muslim inmates. 'None of them condone forms of terrorism or extremism,' the source added. 'And they don't want their religion to be connected to that awful shooting.'
James Holmes: Did Aurora Shooter Convert to Islam? No sources- Hollywood Gossip Mar 22, 2013 - James Holmes, the alleged Aurora theater shooter, reportedly converted to Islam while in jail. Emphasis on reportedly.
Alleged Aurora Shooter, James Holmes, Converts To Islam ...International Business TimesMar 22, 2013 - James Holmes, the alleged Aurora shooter, reportedly converted toIslam in jail but the report has been criticized for its lack of credible sources.
Aurora Movie theater shooter James Holmes converts to ...Mar 21, 2013 - Apparently James Holmes has converted to Islam to justify the ... WASHINGTON TIMES – The man who shot up an Aurora, Colo., movie theater ...
Aurora Theater Shooter James Holmes Reportedly Converts ...FrontPage MagazineMar 21, 2013 - This is far from proven, but if Holmes did indeed covert to Islam, he wouldn't be the first prisoner to go Mohammedan behind bars. This story ...
Aurora Massacre Shooter James Holmes Converts To Islam ...Mar 21, 2013 - The man who allegedly killed 12 people and injured scores of others in the July 20, 2012 massacre at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater ...
Colorado Shooter James Holmes Converts to Islam? Answering Mar 21, 2013 - The Daily Mail is reporting that James Holmes, the infamous murderer ... to Islam as a way of justifying his horrific murder spree in an Aurora, .
*Anti-imperialist media
- Crow Rising Media COLORADO SHOOTING APPEARS TO BE AN ORGANIZED OPERATION. shooter was a “Manchurian Candidate” substituted for the real James Holmes Stephen Cook sends along this photo from the Sydney Morning Herald which shows two “views” of the shooter. Stephen points out that the two photos show different people--different eye shapes and colour, eyebrows, ear shape, noses--which suggests that James Holmes was not the shooter and that the , whose fate is unknown.
- Global Research: Colorado Carnage: Proof of Obama Ineptitude | Global Research ... Jul 24, 2012 James Holmes, the alleged shooter, had likened himself to The ... in Afghanistan, Iraq and countless other countries where they operate. ... Washington's proxy war against the government of Bashar Al Assad. ... Imperialism and Solidarity in the Age of Trump. List - PropOrNot globalresearch.ca
- Henrymakow Aurora, Colorado Shooter Linked to MK-Ultra Expert on russia list: The List - PropOrNot henrymakow.com
- Natural News Colorado Batman shooting shows obvious signs of being staged ... PropOrNot naturalnews.com Russia is Manipulating US Public Opinion through Online Propaganda naturalnews.com pro-russia article: Why is Russia so much smarter than the U.S. when it comes to GMOs?
- The Intel Hub http://theintelhub.com/2012/07/30/overwhelming-evidence-mounts-indicating-colorado-shooting-staged/ It is now clear the Colorado shooting is a staged event. It mirrors previous shootings, including the assassination of Robert Kennedy blamed on the drugged patsy Sirhan Sirhan. Linked by Global Research: False Flag Terror and Conspiracies of Silence See “Wisconsin Sikh Shooting False Flag: Multiple Shooters, Army Psy-Ops, The FBI, Operation Gladio, and the SPLC,” Intellhub.com
- Truthseeker Aurora, Colorado Shooter Linked to MK-Ultra Expert henrymakow who is James Holmes linked to but Stewart Brand's partner David Eagleman, both men ... Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections DNI RT introduced "Truthseeker" focused on criticism of US and Western governments List - PropOrNot thetruthseeker.co.uk
- Rense The Batman Shooting Why, How And Who Time Line - Rense would employ --Mossad agents, loyal to banks because they are Jewish and ...
- Nodisinfo: Homes was drugged and abused by the Mossad Malicious Photoshopping Proven in James Holmes Photos - NODISINFO photos of James Holmes released by the Zionist-controlled media. ... In the case of Holmes he was drugged and abused by the Mossad NoDisinfo and VeteransToday (pro-russian) both spread strong anti-Semitic content
Lies and Inconsistencies in the Aurora Theater Shooting: condemnable act of false flag terror was committed against the American people. - Ugly Truth Colorado Shooter Was Camp Counselor for Jewish James Holmes, 24, worked as cabin counselor at Camp Max Straus in ..... not yet on the map and this is actually the first big Mossad false flag). List of 200 Forbidden ... - The Truthseeker accused of being “Russian agents. ProporNot lists excellent Occidental Observer and Mark Glenn's The Ugly Truth
COLORADO SHOOTING APPEARS TO BE AN ORGANIZED ...
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/70650287875166790/... Candidate” substituted for the real James Holmes, whose fate is unknown. ... ISIS was created by the CIA and Mossad -the U.S. training of Islamic radicals to.
*Muslim Media
James Holmes and "Retrospective Jihad" | loonwatch.comMar 24, 2013 - James Holmes, the alleged Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooter, has reportedly converted to Islam while in jail. Emphasis on reportedly. (pro-muslim news) As if reading out of the Protocols of the Elders of Mecca the desperate legions of anti-Muslim invective made haste to proliferate a Daily Mail article about the alleged jailhouse conversion of James Holmes and his supposed ex-post-facto justification of the atrocity perpetrated in Aurora, Colorado. FrontPageMagRag‘s favorite genocidalist Daniel Greenfield ran the story, saying it may be another prisoner going “Mohamedan behind bars.” Those self-proclaimed “Jihad experts/reporters,” Spencer and Geller, found the story too juicy to pass up, claiming Holmes was just acting out his own #Myjihad, with Geller speculating if “it was a recent conversion or was there some knowledge about his leanings before the shooting?” Interestingly, the Daily Mail article itself notes that Muslim inmates are “not happy” about Holmes trying to link his massacre to Islam.
*Terrorism "Investigators believe the shooter acted alone and not as part of a terrorist group"
Police say Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes had 2 ... Investigators believe the shooter acted alone and not as part of a terrorist group.
*wikipedia
James Eagan Holmes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other people named James Holmes, see James Holmes (disambiguation).
James Eagan Holmes | |
---|---|
Initial booking photo at Arapahoe County Jail
| |
Born | December 13, 1987 San Diego, California, U.S. |
Residence | Aurora, Colorado |
Nationality | American |
Education | B.S. Neuroscience[1] |
Alma mater |
|
Occupation | Student |
Known for | Perpetrator of the 2012 Aurora shooting |
Religion | None[3] |
Criminal charge
| 24 counts of first degree murder 140 counts of attempted first degree murder 1 count of possessing an illegalexplosive device 1 count of inciting violence[4][5] |
Criminal status | On trial |
James Eagan Holmes (born December 13, 1987) is an American known for carrying out the 2012 Aurora shooting that killed 12 people and injured 70 others at a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012.[6]
Holmes was hospitalized after attempting suicide several times while in jail in November 2012. He is currently held without bail and has entered a plea of not guilty on March 12, 2013. He has no known previous criminal record.[6] His attorneys had been expected to enter a plea ofdiminished capacity (which differs from an insanity plea), but they told the presiding judge in the preliminary hearing that they were not ready to decide on such a step yet, and needed more time to review the massive documentation on the case. Colorado State District Court judge William Blair Sylvester, who was the trial judge overseeing the preliminaries, was also concerned about moving too fast in proceeding to thearraignment, which could produce further issues supporting an eventual appeal.
On March 12, 2013, a Colorado judge entered a plea of not guilty when Holmes' attorney claimed that his client was not prepared to enter a plea.[7] On March 27, 2013, Holmes's attorneys said he would plead guilty to avoid the death penalty, but the following day prosecutors said they are not ready to accept the offer. On the following Monday, prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity[8] on June 4, 2013, which the judge accepted. The trial began on April 27, 2015.[9]
Contents
[hide]Personal life[edit]
James Eagan Holmes was born on December 13, 1987, in San Diego, California.[2] His father is a mathematician and scientist[10][11][12] with degrees from Stanford University, UCLA and UC Berkeley and his mother is a registered nurse.[13] He has one sister.[14] Holmes was raised inCastroville, California, where he attended elementary school,[15] and San Diego, where he lived in the Rancho Penasquitos neighborhood and went to Westview High School and graduated in 2006.[11][16][17][18] Holmes played soccer and ran cross-country in high school.[13] He attended Penasquitos Lutheran Church with his family, according to the church's pastor.[19][20] According to Holmes' lawyer, Daniel King, Holmes began to suffer from mental health issues in middle school and attempted suicide at age 11.[21][22]
In Aurora, Holmes lived on Paris Street in a one-bedroom apartment, in a building with other students involved in health studies.[23] In a rental application for another apartment he applied for, he described himself as "quiet and easygoing".[24] He left some digital footprints, like a university email address, an old Myspace photo,[25] a dating profile on Match.com,[26] and a profile on Adult FriendFinder, as well as a résumé at the employment website Monster.com.[27] According to a few sources, Holmes allegedly hired prostitutes and left reviews of them on an onlinemessage board.[28][29][30]
Education and career[edit]
In 2006, Holmes worked as an intern at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies where he was assigned to write computer code for an experiment. Holmes, who was described by his supervisor as stubborn, uncommunicative and socially inept, presented his project to the other interns at the end of the internship, but never actually completed it.[31][32] Holmes wrote of his experiences at the Salk Institute in a college application essay: "I had little experience in computer programming and the work was challenging to say the least. Nonetheless, I taught myself how to program in Flash and then construct a cross-temporal calibration model.... Completing the project and presenting my model at the end of the internship was exhilarating."[33]
Graduating from Westview High School in the Torrey Highlands community of San Diego in 2006,[12][34] Holmes attended the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and, in 2010, received his undergraduate degree in neuroscience with the highest honors.[35][36][37][38] He was a member of several honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa and Golden Key.[39] According to UCR recommendation letters submitted to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC), Holmes graduated in the top 1% of his class with a 3.949 GPA. The UCR letters also described Holmes as "a very effective group leader’’ and a person who "takes an active role in his education, and brings a great amount of intellectual and emotional maturity into the classroom".[40]
In 2008, Holmes worked as a counselor at a residential summer camp in Glendale, California, that catered to children aged 7–14. There he was responsible for 10 children and had no disciplinary problems.[41]
In June 2011, Holmes enrolled as a Ph.D. student in neuroscience at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.[42] He received a $21,600 grant from the National Institutes of Health, according to agency records, which was disbursed in installments from July 2011 to June 2012. Holmes also received a $5,000 stipend from the University of Colorado, Denver.[43][44] Though Holmes received a letter of acceptance to UIUC, where he was offered a $22,600 stipend and free tuition, he declined their offer without specifying a reason. Reviewers of Holmes' application at UIUC remembered his application because he submitted a picture of himself with a llama.[40]
In 2012, Holmes' academic performance declined,[45] and he scored poorly on the comprehensive exam in the spring. The university was not planning to expel him; however, Holmes was in the process of withdrawing from the university.[46] Three days after failing a key oral exam at the university in early June 2012, Holmes dropped out of his studies without further explanation.[47] At the time of his arrest, he gave his occupation as "laborer."[48]
Aurora theater shooting[edit]
Main article: 2012 Aurora shooting
Events leading to the shooting[edit]
Holmes' defense attorneys stated in a motion that he was a psychiatric patient of the medical director of Anschutz's Student Mental Health Services prior to the Aurora shooting. The prosecutor disagreed with that claim.[49][50] Four days after the release of the defense attorney's motion, the judge required this information to be blacked out.[51] CBS News later reported that Holmes met with at least three mental health professionals at the University of Colorado prior to the massacre.
One of Holmes' psychiatrists suspected, prior to the shooting, that Holmes suffered from mental illness and could be dangerous. A month before the shooting, Dr. Lynne Fenton reported to the campus police that he had made homicidal statements.[52] Two weeks prior to the shooting, Holmes sent a text message asking a graduate student if the student had heard of the disorder dysphoric mania, and warning the student to stay away from him "because I am bad news".[53]
Holmes was a fan of superheroes, including Batman, and his apartment was decorated with Batman paraphernalia.[54] Dave Aragón, an actor from MTV television series Pimp My Ride, stated that Holmes called him twice the month prior to the shooting. Aragón is the writer, director, and star of an upcoming film entitled The Suffocator of Sins, which depicts a vigilante who shoots criminals, and Aragón claimed that Holmes showed interest in his movie's trailer.[55]
According to Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler, Holmes chose the Century 16 theater for his attack because he liked movie theaters and the specific theater had doors that he could lock in order to increase the number of casualties, as well as being in an area where police response would take longer. Holmes allegedly considered other locations for a mass shooting, such as an airport, but ruled it out because an airport would have too much security. He also wrote his reasoning that an attack on an airport would be confused as an act of terrorism, saying, "Terrorism isn't the message. The message is, there is no message."[56][57]
Actions prior to shooting[edit]
On May 22, 2012, Holmes purchased a Glock 22 pistol at a Gander Mountain shop in Aurora. Six days later, on May 28, he bought a Remington 870 Express Tactical shotgun at a Bass Pro Shops in Denver.[58] On June 7, just hours after failing his oral exam at the university,[47] he purchased a Smith & Wesson M&P15 semi-automatic rifle from a Gander Mountain in Thornton, with a second Glock 22 pistol at the same Bass Pro Shops in Denver on July 6.[59] All the weapons were bought legally and background checks were performed.[60] In the four months prior to the shooting, Holmes also bought 3,000 rounds of ammunition for the pistols, 3,000 rounds for the M&P15, and 350 shells for the shotgun over the Internet.[61][62] On July 2, he placed an order for a Blackhawk Urban Assault Vest, two magazine holders, and a knife at an online retailer.[61][63]
On June 25, less than a month before the shooting, Holmes emailed an application to join a gun club in Byers, Colorado. The owner, Glenn Rotkovich, called him several times throughout the following days to invite him to a mandatory orientation, but could only reach his answering machine. Due to the nature of Holmes' voice mail, which he described as "bizarre, freaky", "guttural, spoken with a deep voice, incoherent and rambling", Rotkovich instructed his staff to inform him if Holmes showed up, though Holmes neither appeared at the gun range nor called back. "In hindsight, looking back – and if I'd seen the movies – maybe I'd say it was like the Joker – I would have gotten the Joker out of it... It was like somebody was trying to be as weird as possible", Rotkovich said.[64]
On July 19, just hours before the shooting started, Holmes mailed a notebook to his psychiatrist. The notebook detailed his thoughts and plans during the weeks preceding the shooting.[65]The notebook was found in an undelivered package in the Anschutz Medical Campus mail-room.[66]
Shooting and arrest[edit]
On July 20, 2012, police arrested an unresisting Holmes next to his car behind the Century 16 theater, moments after the 2012 Aurora shooting, in which Holmes allegedly set off several gas or smoke canisters and then opened fire on the theater audience, killing 12 and wounding 70.[67] The responding officers recovered several guns from inside the car and the theater.
Once apprehended, Holmes told the police that he had booby-trapped his apartment with explosive devices before heading to the theater.[18][68][69]Police later confirmed the presence of explosives in the apartment.[70]
Detention and pre-trial court appearances[edit]
Holmes was initially jailed at Arapahoe Detention Center, under suicide watch.[71] He is being held in solitary confinement to protect him from other inmates, a routine precaution for high-profile cases.[72]
Holmes made his first court appearance in Centennial, Colorado on July 23, 2012, before Judge William B. Sylvester.[73] He was read his rights and no bail was given due to the nature of the charges. A mandatory protection order was issued by the judge. The judge appointed a public defender. Holmes said nothing and never looked at the judge.[74] His appearance, which was described as "dazed"[75] and "confused"[76] fueled speculation about his mental state.[77]
On July 30, Colorado prosecutors filed formal charges against Holmes that included 24 counts of first degree murder, 116 counts of attempted murder, possession of explosive devices, and inciting violence. The multiple charges expand the opportunities for prosecutors to obtain convictions. For each person killed in the shooting, Holmes is charged with one count of murder with deliberation and one count of murder with extreme indifference.[4] Holmes agreed in court to waive his right to a preliminary hearing within 35 days.[78]
On August 9, Holmes's attorneys said their client is mentally ill and that they need more time to assess the nature of his illness. The disclosure was made at a court hearing in Centennial where news media organizations were asking a judge to unseal court documents in the case.[79]
On September 19, the prosecution filed a motion to add 10 new charges against Holmes and asked to amend 17 others. The additional charges would bring the total counts Holmes faces to 152.[80] Holmes appeared in the Arapahoe County Court house the following day for the first time without his dyed-red hair, but with cropped hair revealing his natural brown color.[81]
On September 28, court documents released by prosecutors say Holmes was revoked access to the University of Colorado campus because he threatened a professor. The university has said Holmes was denied access to non-public parts of the campus because he had withdrawn from school.[82]
On October 11, Holmes's attorneys asked Judge William Sylvester to postpone a preliminary hearing scheduled for November. On October 25, the preliminary hearing was set for the week of January 7.[83]
Holmes' lawyers filed an emergency motion on November 14 to delay a pre-trial hearing, citing an unspecified condition that has left him unable to appear in court: "As a result of developments over the past 24 hours, Mr. Holmes is in a condition that renders him unable to be present in court for tomorrow's hearing." They requested to delay the hearing, which they received. It was rescheduled for December.[84] Evidently, Holmes made various suicide attempts referred to as "half-hearted" in days before the scheduled hearing on November 15.[85]
Holmes returned to court on January 7, 2013, at which 9-1-1 phone call recordings and videos from the cineplex were presented as evidence, information that up until then had not been released. Holmes' defense team continued to maintain that he is mentally ill.[86] On that same day, it is reported that investigators seized four prescription bottles and immunization records from his apartment when it was searched in July 2012. It was not revealed what the prescriptions were or what they were for. The judge ultimately ruled in October that prosecutors could keep the items.[87]
On January 10, 2013, a judge ruled that evidence is sufficient for Holmes to face trial on all counts with which he has been charged.[88] His plea hearing was delayed until March 2013.[89]
On March 27, 2013, Holmes's attorneys said he would be willing to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty.[90] On March 28, prosecutors said they are not ready to accept Holmes's offer to plead guilty and avoid the death penalty and also criticized the offer as a delibrate ploy by the defense in order to delay the start of the trial.[91][full citation needed][92]
On April 1, 2013, prosecutors announced they will seek the death penalty in a trial to start in February 2014.[93] On May 7, 2013, Holmes's attorneys filed their intent for him to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. He made this change in his plea on May 31.[94][95] On May 23, 2013, Holmes's attorneys called the state's insanity-plea rules unconstitutional.[96] On May 29, 2013, the judge ruled about the constitutionality of the laws for insanity-plea questioned by Holmes's attorneys, concluding that the laws are not in violation of the Constitution.[97] On June 4, 2013, the presiding judge accepted his plea of insanity defense.[8]
On August 5, 2013, Holmes was transferred to the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, Colorado.[98] By August 20, 2013, Holmes was no longer detained at Colorado Mental Health Institute;[99] he was transferred back to jail.
Trial[edit]
The trial, initially scheduled for October 2014, was delayed to December 8.[100][101] On that date, the trial was again postponed as Holmes' lawyers asked for another continuance.[102]
Jury selection eventually started on January 20, 2015, after a request by Holmes' lawyers for yet another continuance was denied.[103] The juror selection process lasted three months and summonsed 9,000 candidates, making it the largest jury summons in U.S. history. On April 15, selection ended, with a total of nineteen women and five men serving. There were concerns about the selection of the jurors since at least two from the pool of twelve primary jurors, along with twelve alternatives, had ties to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre: "Juror No. 535", the aunt of a Columbine survivor; and "Juror No. 737", a man who was a student there at the time.[104] The trial began on April 27.[105]
On May 26, the notebook Holmes mailed to his psychiatrist hours prior to the shooting was presented as evidence. There had previously been intense debating during the preceding three years as to whether the notebook was eligible as evidence and should be admitted, since it details Holmes' thoughts. Prosecutors argued the content in Holmes' notebook, which detailed attack plans, proved the shooting was premeditated, while Holmes' attorneys argued that his writing indicated his mental illness.[65] On May 27, Dr. William Reid, a court-appointed psychiatrist who interviewed Holmes, testified that Holmes was mentally ill but legally sane. Reid and another doctor evaluated Holmes in December 2013, and determined Holmes to be legally sane and that his mental illness did not prevent him from forming intent and knowing the consequences of his actions.[106]
References[edit]
Jump up^ Ross French (July 20, 2012). "Information regarding James Eagan Holmes". UCR Today (University of California, Riverside). Retrieved August 2, 2012.
^ Jump up to:a b "Profile: Aurora cinema shooting suspect James Holmes". BBC. July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
Jump up^ "Alleged Shooter James Holmes Bragged Of 'Soul Penetrating Eyes' On Dating Website".
^ Jump up to:a b Riccardi, Nicholas; Banda, P. Solomon (July 30, 2012)."Colo. Suspect Charges: Murder, Attempted Murder". Retrieved September 19, 2012.
Jump up^ Barajas, Joshua. 'Through this door is horror': Opening statements begin in theater shooting trial, PBS News Hour, April 27, 2015.
^ Jump up to:a b "Colo. shooting suspect James Holmes' apartment booby trapped, police say". CBS News. July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
Jump up^ "James Holmes Update: Judge enters not guilty plea for suspect in Colorado movie theater massacre - Crimesider - CBS News". CBS News.
^ Jump up to:a b Muskal, Michael. "Judge allows plea of not guilty by insanity for James Holmes". LA Times. Retrieved 4 June2013.[dead link]
Jump up^ Raquel Villanueva and Associated Press, news source (April 26, 2015). "Aurora theater shooting trial adjourns for day". 9News.
Jump up^ Peter Rowe and John Wilkens (July 20, 2012). "Quiet, unassuming San Diegan accused of mass murder". U-T San Diego. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
^ Jump up to:a b Sara Burnett and Jessica Fender (July 20, 2012)."Colorado shooting suspect James Eagan Holmes was honor student". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
^ Jump up to:a b "A closer look at Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes". USA Today. July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 21,2012.
^ Jump up to:a b Peter Rowe and John Wilkens (July 20, 2012). "Quiet, unassuming, San Diegan accused of mass murder". UT San Diego. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
Jump up^ Stickney, R.; Fry, Wendy (July 24, 2012). "Holmes Family Stands by Son: Attorney". NBC San Diego. RetrievedJanuary 14, 2013.
Jump up^ "Castroville classmates stunned: As a youth James Holmes was 'friends with everybody'". The Salinas Californian. July 23, 2012.
Jump up^ Susan Gembrowski, Marisol Bello and Trevor Hughes (July 21, 2012). "A closer look at Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes". USA Today. Retrieved January 19, 2015. His family still lives in the two-story white house with a red-tiled roof where he grew up. The house is less than three miles from Westview High School where he graduated in 2006.
Jump up^ "Who is James Egan Holmes?". The Blade (Toledo, OH). Associated Press. July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
^ Jump up to:a b Sandell, Clayton; Dolak, Kevin; Curry, Colleen (July 20, 2012). "Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: Suspect Bought 4 Guns, 6,000 Rounds of Ammunition in Past 60 Days". ABC News. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
Jump up^ "Pastor: Colo suspect was shy boy driven to succeed".Sacramento Bee. Associated Press. July 22, 2012.[dead link]
Jump up^ Simon, Stephanie (July 22, 2012). "Colorado shooter: a high achiever's abrupt descent". Reuters.
Jump up^ Associated Press (April 27, 2015). "The Latest: Courthouse empties after Day 1 of Holmes trial". Associated Press. Retrieved April 27, 2015. Daniel King said during opening statements Monday that Holmes was a normal child through elementary school but began to have mental health problems in middle school. He says Holmes attempted suicide at age 11.
Jump up^ Raquel Villanueva and Associated Press (April 27, 2015)."Aurora theater shooting trial adjourns for day". 9 News. Retrieved April 27, 2015. Daniel King said during opening statements Monday that Holmes was a normal child through elementary school but began to have mental health problems in middle school. He says Holmes attempted suicide at age 11.
Jump up^ Castillo, Mariano (July 21, 2012). "James Eagan Holmes: Aurora, Colorado shooting suspect: Who is he?". CNN. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
Jump up^ Williams, Pete; Dedman, Bill; NBC News staff (July 21, 2012). "Aurora suspect James Holmes was buying guns, dropping out of graduate school". ABC News. RetrievedJuly 23, 2012.
Jump up^ Stern, Joanna (July 20, 2012). "James Holmes: Colorado Shooting Suspect Had Few Digital Fingerprints". ABC News. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
Jump up^ "The Match.Com Profile". TMZ.com. Retrieved July 27,2012.
Jump up^ Asbury, John; Gruszecki, Debra; Robinson, Alicia (20 July 2012). "At UC Riverside, Holmes led enigmatic life". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
Jump up^ "James Holmes: Denver Dark Knight killer paid prostitute for sex just a week before massacre". London: Dailymail.co.uk. 2012-07-30. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
Jump up^ Caulfield, Philip (25 July 2012). "Aurora suspect hired prostitutes". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
Jump up^ Lysiak, Matt; Chapman, Ben (30 July 2012). "Holmes wasn't hot for prostitute". New York Daily News. Retrieved2012-11-03.
Jump up^ "Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes was an 'unusually bad intern'". The Christian Science Monitor. 23 July 2012.
Jump up^ "Suspected Aurora shooter James Holmes brilliant? Not by a long shot, says former Salk Institute supervisor John Jacobson". New York Daily News. 23 July 2012.
Jump up^ Holmes, James. "Resume submitted to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign" (PDF). Reuters. p. 11. RetrievedAugust 11, 2012.
Jump up^ Lohr, David (July 20, 2012). "Colorado Shooting: What We Know About James Holmes (UPDATED)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
Jump up^ Whitaker, Bill (July 20, 2012). "James Holmes "smart" but "quiet," teachers and neighbors say". CBS News. RetrievedJuly 20, 2012.
Jump up^ Burnett, Sara (July 21, 2012). "Theater shooting suspect: A quiet man who authorities say harbored a deadly plan". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
Jump up^ Stickney, R.; Tevrizian, Megan; Powell, Brandi (July 20, 2012). "Westview HS Graduate 'Acted Alone' in Deadly Rampage: Investigators". NBC San Diego. RetrievedJuly 20, 2012.
Jump up^ "Chancellor Timothy P. White Press conference video". University of California, Riverside.
Jump up^ "Aurora suspect James Holmes was buying guns, dropping out of graduate school". MSNBC. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
^ Jump up to:a b "Man accused in Colo. shooting was accepted to UIUC". 5 NBC Chicago. August 10, 2012. RetrievedAugust 11, 2012.
Jump up^ Dedman, Bill (21 July 2012). "Photos of James Holmes, camp counselor for underprivileged kids". NBC News. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
Jump up^ "Shooting Suspect Was Graduate Student At Colorado Medical School". WLEX-TV. 20 July 2012.
Jump up^ "James Holmes received thousands from grad-school grants ahead of deadly Aurora shooting". CBS This Morning (CBS News). Retrieved July 25, 2012.
Jump up^ "University: CO shooting suspect had federal grant". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. July 21, 2012. RetrievedJuly 22, 2012.
Jump up^ Leonnig, Carol D.; Achenbach, Joel (July 20, 2012). "James Holmes, held in Colorado shooting, had academic promise but was struggling". The Washington Post. RetrievedJuly 20, 2012.
Jump up^ "Statement from the university on James Holmes". University of Colorado Denver. July 21, 2012. RetrievedJuly 21, 2012.
^ Jump up to:a b Harris, Dan (July 25, 2012). "James Holmes Bought Rifle After Failing Oral Exam at University of Colorado".ABC News. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
Jump up^ Sickles, Jason (August 9, 2012). "Judge accused of creating ‘unusual shroud of secrecy’ in movie theater shooting case". Yahoo News.
Jump up^ "Colorado shooting suspect was a psychiatric patient". CNN. July 27, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
Jump up^ "Defense: Shooting suspect was seeing psychiatrist". Associated Press. Retrieved July 28, 2012.[dead link]
Jump up^ Meyer, Jeremy P. (August 1, 2012). "Holmes court document revised four days after its release". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
Jump up^ "Psychiatrist told campus police before Colo. theater attack Holmes had homicidal thoughts". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2013.[dead link]
Jump up^ Goode, Erica; Kovaleski, Serge F.; Healy, Jack; Frosch, Dan (26 August 2012). "Before Gunfire, Hints of 'Bad News'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012.
Jump up^ Quinones, Sam; Murphy, Kim; Mozingo, Joe (22 July 2012)."Profile of Aurora shooting suspect keeps getting murkier".Los Angeles Times.
Jump up^ "MTV Star Claims Alleged Aurora Theater Shooter Called Him Prior To Massacre". CBS. August 1, 2012. RetrievedDecember 26, 2012.
Jump up^ Perry, Dave (April 29, 2015). "Aurora Theater Shooting Trial: Day 1". Aurora Sentinel.
Jump up^ "James Holmes' notebook read to jury in Colorado movie massacre trial". CNN. May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 26,2015.
Jump up^ Castillo, Michelle. Colo. shooter purchased guns legally from 3 different stores. CBS News. July 20, 2012. Accessed from December 10, 2012.
Jump up^ "James Holmes appears in court being accused of killing 12 people in Aurora cinema shooting | BelleNews.com, Latest News". Bellenews.com. 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
Jump up^ Moreno, Ivan. "Police: Colo. Shooting Suspect Bought Guns Legally". ABCNews.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 21,2012.
^ Jump up to:a b Suspect Bought Large Stockpile of Rounds Online,The New York Times (July 22, 2012)
Jump up^ Aurora Gunman’s Arsenal: Shotgun, Semiautomatic Rifle and, at the End, a Pistol, The New York Times (July 23, 2012)
Jump up^ Colo. shooting suspect used Internet for arsenal[dead link],[Associated Press] (July 23, 2012)
Jump up^ Massacre suspect James Holmes' gun-range application drew red flag, Fox News (July 22, 2012)
^ Jump up to:a b "Colorado Theater Shooting Trial: Holmes' Notebook to Take Center Stage". ABC News. May 26, 2015. RetrievedMay 26, 2015.
Jump up^ "'Chilling notebook' first reported by FoxNews.com revealed at James Holmes trial". FOX News. May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
Jump up^ "Officials release complete list of injured victims in Aurora massacre". Fox News. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
Jump up^ "70 Shot In Movie Theater Mass Shooting; 12 Killed". The Denver Channel. July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
Jump up^ Minshew, Charles (July 20, 2012). "Map: Aurora theater shooting, suspect's apartment, hospitals". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
Jump up^ "Colo. suspect's apartment 'booby-trapped'". Clinton News-Record. Reuters. July 20, 2012. Retrieved July 20,2012.
Jump up^ Lysiak, Matthew; Arkin, James; Mcshane, Larry (July 21, 2012). "Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes jailed in solitary: 'All the inmates were talking about killing him'".Daily News (New York). Retrieved July 22, 2012.
Jump up^ "James Eagan Holmes will appear in court on Monday".Global Post. July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
Jump up^ "Watch Theater Shooting Suspect's First Court Appearance". YouTube. July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 23,2012.
Jump up^ "Formal charges coming in a week in Colorado shootings". CNN. July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
Jump up^ James Holmes makes court appearance in Colorado theater shooting[dead link], Los Angeles Times (July 23, 2012)
Jump up^ Shooting suspect's court appearance puzzles many[dead link], The Detroit News (July 25, 2012)
Jump up^ Court appearance fuels theories about Colorado shooting suspect, CNN (July 25, 2012)
Jump up^ John Ingold (July 30, 2012). "James Holmes faces 142 counts, including 24 of first-degree murder". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
Jump up^ Banda, Solomon. "LAWYERS: COLO. SHOOTING SUSPECT IS MENTALLY ILL". Associated Press.
Jump up^ Ingold, John (September 19, 2012). "Prosecutors seek to add 10 charges against theater shooting suspect". The Denver Post. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
Jump up^ Stephen Rex Brown (September 20, 2012). "James Holmes has brown hair now". The New York Daily News. RetrievedSeptember 20, 2012.
Jump up^ Gary Strauss (September 28, 2012). "Prosecutors: Shooting suspect threatened professor". USA Today. Retrieved28 September 2012.
Jump up^ Coffman, Keith (October 25, 2012). "Preliminary hearing in Colorado movie rampage case set for January". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
Jump up^ "Accused Colorado gunman cannot attend court due to condition: lawyer". Reuters. November 14, 2012. Retrieved14 November 2012.
Jump up^ "Colorado massacre suspect has made half-hearted suicide attempts". CBS News. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
Jump up^ "Accused Colo. Shooter James Holmes Hearing Set — ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. 2013-01-02. Retrieved2013-01-07.
Jump up^ Ingold, John (January 7, 2013). "Aurora theater shooting: Cops took pill bottles from Holmes' apartment". The Denver Post.
Jump up^ "Judge rules James Holmes should face trial in Colorado massacre". Fox News. January 10, 2013. Retrieved11 January 2013.
Jump up^ "Judge Delays Arraignment In Colo. Theater Shooting".Associated Press. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
Jump up^ Winter, Michael (March 27, 2013). "James Holmes offers guilty plea to avoid death penalt". USA Today. RetrievedMarch 27, 2013.
Jump up^ "Prosecutors Criticize Holmes’ Guilty Plea Offer, Call It A Ploy " CBS Denver". Retrieved January 19, 2015.
Jump up^ "Prosecutors Not Ready to Agree to Holmes Plea". AP. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
Jump up^ Hughes, Trevor; Strauss, Gary (April 1, 2013). "Death penalty sought for James Holmes; trial set for Feb. 2014". USA Today. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
Jump up^ "Attorneys: Holmes plans insanity plea in Aurora shootings". CNN. May 8, 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
Jump up^ Hughes, Trevor (May 13, 2013). "Holmes asking judge to change plea to insanity". USA Today. Retrieved 13 May2013.
Jump up^ Gurman, Sadie (May 23, 2013). "James Holmes' attorneys say insanity-plea rules are unconstitutional". Denver Post.
Jump up^ Ingold, John (May 29, 2013). "James Holmes trial: Judge clears insanity plea's constitutionality". Denver Post.
Jump up^ "Suspect Holmes at CMHIP". The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
Jump up^ "Holmes transferred from Pueblo’s state mental hospital".www.chieftain.com. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
Jump up^ Ingold, John (February 27, 2014). "Judge sets October trial for James Holmes in Aurora theater shooting". The Denver Post. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
Jump up^ "Judge sets new Dec. 8 trial date for James Holmes" The Denver Channel, July 22, 2014.
Jump up^ "Judge considering another James Holmes trial delay".Fox News. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
Jump up^ Los Angeles Times (January 20, 2015). "Jury selection gets underway in Colorado theater massacre trial". latimes.com. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
Jump up^ "Details emerge about jury picked for Colorado theater shooting trial". Yahoo! News. April 15, 2015. RetrievedApril 15, 2015.
Jump up^ Maria L. La Ganga (28 April 2015). "James Holmes trial: 'It was a pool of blood my face was in ... somebody else's'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
Jump up^ Elliot, Dan. Psychiatrist: Colorado shooter knew what he was doing, Associated Press, May 27, 2015.
External links[edit]
Video of Holmes speaking at a science camp
No comments:
Post a Comment