INTERNET SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Eagan_Holmes
James Eagan Holmes (born December 13, 1987) is the admitted perpetrator of
a mass shooting that killed 12 people at a Century movie theater in Aurora,
Colorado, on July 20, 2012. He had no known criminal record prior to the
shooting.
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. His attorneys had been expected to enter a plea of
diminished 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 peruse and review the massive documentation
on the case. Colorado State District Court Judge William B. Sylvester, who is
the trial judge overseeing the case, also was concerned about moving too fast
in proceeding to the arraignment, 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. 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 on June 4, 2013, which the judge
accepted. The trial is scheduled for February 2014.
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The suspect, James Eagan Holmes, shown with
his hair dyed in a booking photo released July 23, 2012 by Arapahoe County
Sheriff's Department.
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Born
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December 13, 1987
San Diego, California, U.S. |
Residence
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Aurora, Colorado
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Nationality
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American
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Education
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B.S. Neuroscience
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Alma mater
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Occupation
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Student
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Known for
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Accused perpetrator of 2012 Aurora shooting
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Criminal status
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Jailed, pending trial
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Personal
life
James
Eagan Holmes was born on December 13, 1987 in San Diego, California. His father
is a mathematician and scientist with degrees from Stanford University, UCLA
and UC Berkeley and his mother is a registered nurse. He has one sister. Holmes
was raised in Castroville, California, where he attended elementary school, and
San Diego. Holmes played soccer and ran cross-country in high school. He
attended a local Lutheran church with his family, according to the church's
pastor.
In
Aurora, Holmes lived on Paris Street in a one-bedroom apartment, in a building
with other students involved in health studies. In his rental application, he
described himself as "quiet and easygoing". He left some digital
footprints, like a university email address, an old MySpace photo, a dating
profile on Match.com, and a profile on Adult FriendFinder, as well as a resume
at the employment website Monster.com. According to a few sources, Holmes may
have hired prostitutes and left reviews of them on an online message board.
Education
and career
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. 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."
Graduating
from Westview High School in the Torrey Highlands community of San Diego in
2006, Holmes attended the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and, in
2010, received his undergraduate degree in neuroscience with the highest
honors. He was a member of several honor societies, including Phi Beta Kappa
and Golden Key. 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".
In
2008, Holmes worked as a counselor at a residential summer camp in Glendale,
California, that catered to needy children aged 7–14. There he was responsible
for 10 children and had no disciplinary problems.
In
June 2011, Holmes enrolled as a Ph.D. student in neuroscience at the University
of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. 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. 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.
In
2012, his academic performance declined, 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. Three days after
failing a key oral exam at the university in early June 2012, Holmes dropped
out of his studies without further explanation. At the time of his arrest, he
gave his occupation as "laborer."
Aurora
theater shooting
Main
article: 2012 Aurora shooting
Events
leading to the shooting
Holmes'
defense attorneys claimed in a motion he was a "psychiatric patient"
of the medical director of Anschutz's Student Mental Health Services prior to
the Aurora shooting; however, the prosecution disagrees with that claim. Four
days after the release of the defense attorney's motion, the judge required this
information to be blacked out. CBS News later reported that Holmes met with at
least three mental health professionals at the University of Colorado prior to
the massacre.
Some
of Holmes' acquaintances suspected prior to the shooting that Holmes suffered
from mental illness and could be dangerous. A month prior to the shooting, Dr.
Lynne Fenton reported to the campus police that he had made homicidal
statements which indicated he was a threat to the public. Two weeks prior to
the shooting, he sent a text message asking a graduate student if they had
heard of the disorder dysphoric mania, and warning the student to stay away
from him "because I am bad news."
It
was reported that Holmes was a big fan of superheroes, including Batman, and
that his apartment was decorated with Batman paraphernalia. "Diggity"
Dave Aragon, an actor from MTV television series Pimp My Ride, stated
that James Holmes called him twice the month prior to the shooting. Aragon is
the writer, director, and star of an upcoming film entitled The Suffocator
of Sins, which has a plot that involves a vigilante who shoots criminals,
and Aragon claimed that Holmes showed interest in his movie's trailer.
Actions
prior to shooting
On
May 22, 2012, Holmes purchased a Glock 22 pistol at a Gander Mountain shop in
Aurora, and six days later bought a Remington Model 870 shotgun at a Bass Pro
Shops in Denver. On June 7, just hours after failing his oral exam at the
university, he purchased a Smith & Wesson M&P15 semi-automatic rifle,
with a second Glock 22 pistol following on July 6. All the weapons were bought
legally. In the four months prior to the shooting, Holmes also bought 3000
rounds of ammunition for the pistols, 3000 rounds for the M&P15, and 350
shells for the shotgun over the Internet. On July 2, he placed an order for a
Blackhawk Urban Assault Vest, two magazine holders and a knife at an online
retailer.
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.
Shooting
and arrest
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. The responding officers recovered
several guns from inside the car and the theater. According to two federal
authorities, Holmes had dyed his hair orange and had called himself "The
Joker". Although it should also be noted, that Holmes calling himself
"The Joker", was later retracted to news sources such as "Face
The Nation," on the CBS News network, by police.
Once
apprehended, Holmes told the police that he had booby-trapped his apartment
with explosive devices before heading to the theater. Police later confirmed
the presence of explosives in the apartment.
Detention
and court appearance
Holmes
was initially jailed at Arapahoe Detention Center, under suicide watch. He is
being held in solitary confinement to protect him from other inmates, a routine
precaution for high-profile cases.
Holmes
made his first court appearance in Centennial, Colorado on July 23, before
Judge William B. Sylvester. He was read his rights and no bond was given. A
mandatory protection order was issued by the judge. The judge appointed a
public defender. Holmes said nothing and never looked at the judge. His
appearance, which was described as "dazed" and "confused"
fueled speculation about his mental state.
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. Holmes agreed in court to waive
his right to a preliminary hearing within 35 days.
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.
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. 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.
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.
On
October 11, 2012, 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.
Holmes'
lawyers filed an emergency motion on November 14, 2012 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. Evidently, Holmes made various suicide attempts
referred to as "half-hearted" in days before the scheduled hearing on
November 15.
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 maintained that he is mentally
ill. 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.
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. His plea hearing was
delayed until March 2013.
On
March 27, 2013, Holmes's attorneys said he would be willing to plead guilty to
avoid the death penalty. 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 ploy.
On
April 1, 2013, prosecutors announced they will seek the death penalty in a
trial to start in February 2014. On May 7, 2013, Holmes's attorneys filed their
intent for him to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. He will make this
change in his plea on May 31. On May 23, 2013, Holmes's attorneys called the
state's insanity-plea rules unconstitutional. The judge has answered those
constitutional questions on May 29, 2013. 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. On June 4, 2013, the presiding judge accepted his plea of
insanity defense.
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