James Holmes Shoots 71, Kills 12, During Midinight Showing of 'Dark Night Rises' At Colorado Movie Theater

Movie Massacre Suspect Threatened Professor, Prosecutors Say

New court documents conflict with university statements that James Holmes was denied access to campus because he had withdrawn as a student

By P. SOLOMON BANDA | Friday, Sep 28, 2012 | Updated 6:05 PM EDT

This photo on the left released on Sept. 20, 2012 by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office shows James Holmes. The image on the right is from Holmes' first court appearance

The man suspected of unleashing the "Dark Knight" movie theater massacre mailed "burnt currency" along with a notebook to his psychiatrist and was barred from university property for threatening a professor before the attack, prosecutors said in court documents released Friday.

The documents shed little light on James Holmes' possible motives or whether the university ignored warning signs about him. That's partly because Arapahoe County District Judge William B. Sylvester continued to keep under seal the key documents in the case — the affidavit that lays out prosecutors' case against Holmes, and the search warrants that allowed them to gather evidence against him.

Read more:

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/Movie-Massacre-Suspect-Threatened-Professor-Prosecutors-Say-171793311.html

I wonder if he could have Graves Disease? His eyes look like he may have, and his crazy actions could be from the seratonin (sp) being out of balance in his brain. We went through this with my ex-SIL and Nicole actually feared for her and the kids lives before she finally refused to let him come back to her house.

I don't know Mama, but he sure does look like he's on something serious. His eyes are bugging out, his eyebrows drawn up, and his lips look tight. He almost looks like he's holding back a grin or a laugh.

James Holmes Case

Documents

12CR1522 The People of the State of Colorado v. James Holmes - documents from 07/20/2012 to 09/27/2012

http://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/District/Case_Details.cfm?Case_ID=152

Defense attorneys accuse prosecution of leaking info in Holmes

Posted: 10/03/2012 01:31:55 PM MDT
Updated: 10/03/2012 11:57:25 PM MDT
By Jordan Steffen

Defense attorneys for theater shooting suspect James Holmes accused the Arapahoe County Sheriff's office of violating a judge's gag order when they released an updated photo of the suspect last month.

In documents made public Wednesday, Holmes' attorneys argued that the sheriff's department violated the judge's orders not to reveal information about the case when they released a photo of Holmes without his orange hair.

The photo, which showed the 24-year-old with short brown hair, was released Sept. 20 after Holmes appeared in court.

Read more:

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_21689973/defense-accuse-prosecution-leaks-aurora-theater-shooting-case?source=pkg

Latest Aurora, Colorado Shooting News

http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/aurora-colorado-batman-shooting.htm

Suspect in theater shooting returns to court

Updated: 7:08 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012 | Posted: 7:08 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012

The Associated Press

CENTENNIAL, Colo. —
The suspect in the Colorado theater shootings has returned to court for another hearing, but the judge mostly dealt with scheduling matters.

A judge on Thursday tentatively rescheduled a preliminary hearing for James Holmes for the week of Jan. 7 after attorneys said they wouldn't be ready for one this year.

Read more:

http://www.wtov9.com/ap/ap/crime/new-hearing-set-in-colorado-theater-shootings/nSnNn/

James Holmes Package Won't Be Released, Colorado Shooting Trial Judge Says

By THOMAS PEIPERT 10/26/12 06:54 PM ET EDT
AP

DENVER — Prosecutors have added 12 names to the list of people allegedly targeted by the suspect in the Colorado theater shootings, according to documents made public Friday.

James Eagan Holmes originally was charged with 142 counts including murder and attempted murder, alleging he killed 12 people and injured at least 58 in the July 20 shootings.

In September and October, prosecutors filed 24 more counts of attempted murder against Holmes. The names of the alleged victims were redacted from court documents, so the number of additional alleged victims was unknown until Friday.

Read more:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/26/judge-wont-release-package_n_2025772.html

Newly released emails show James Holmes had romantic relationship

Posted on: 6:26 pm, December 5, 2012
Updated on: 10:00pm, December 5, 2012
By David Mitchell

(VIDEO)

Thousands of emails released Wednesday offer some new insight into Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes and the time he spent at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

One mentions a romance he had with a fellow grad student at the school.

They also reveal some of the school’s response after the massacre Holmes is accused of committing that left 12 dead and 58 injured July 20.

3,800 emails were made available after FOX31 Denver and other media organizations made a request to obtain under Colorado’s open records law. The request was for any emails to James Holmes or containing his name.

Read more:

http://kdvr.com/2012/12/05/cu-releases-thousands-of-emails-related-to-theater-shooting-suspect-james-holmes/

Source: Psychiatrist rejected offer to put James Holmes on psych hold

Posted: 12/05/2012 11:21:42 AM MST
Updated: 12/05/2012 07:56:39 PM MST
By Jeremy P. Meyer and John Ingold
The Denver Post

(VIDEO)

A University of Colorado psychiatrist treating suspected theater shooter James Holmes rejected an offer to put him on a 72-hour psychiatric hold after he told her on June 11 that he fantasized about killing "a lot of people," a source told The Denver Post.

Six weeks later, authorities say, Holmes carried out his fantasy, killing 12 people and injuring 58 others in a massacre at the midnight premiere of a Batman movie at an Aurora cinema.

~Snipped~

In other developments in the theater shooting case on Wednesday, the university released two CDs to news outlets containing nearly 3,800 e-mails from the university's e-mail system that reference Holmes or that were sent to or by Holmes from his two university e-mail accounts.

Read more:

http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_22129860?source=pop_neighbors_greeley

So he told her that he wanted to kill a lot of people and she rejects a 72hr hold unbelievable. If she would have taken the proper steps maybe this whole horror could have been avoided. What a shame! Wow

In Session ‏@InSession
Alleged movie theater shooter #JamesHolmes is back in court today in Aurora, Colorado to determine if there is enough evidence for a trial. - Jan 7

James Holmes hearing may reveal "difficult" evidence

January 6, 2013 6:25 PM
By Manuel Bojorquez

(CBS News) In Colorado, the suspect in last July's movie theater killings returns to court Monday.

James Holmes will listen as prosecutors detail the evidence against him. It's information that up until now has not been released.

Holmes is accused of opening fire in a crowded Aurora movie theater July 20, killing 12 people and wounding 70.

Only radio transmissions between first responders that night have been made public so far. The new evidence could include testimony from victims and witnesses, as well as video and 911 calls from inside theater 9, where the shooting happened.

The district attorney has warned victims' families they might not want to attend. In a letter, he asked them to "carefully consider whether or not you think that you are ready to be exposed to potentially difficult information at the hearing."

Read more:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57562325/james-holmes-hearing-may-reveal-difficult-evidence/

Aurora theater shooting: Cops took pill bottles from Holmes' apartment

Posted: 01/07/2013 12:01:00 AM MST
Updated: 01/07/2013 10:05:33 AM MST

By John Ingold
The Denver Post

(VIDEO)

CENTENNIAL — Aurora police seized four prescription bottles and immunization records when they searched theater-shooting suspect James Holmes' apartment in July, according to newly obtained filings in the murder case against Holmes.

The disclosures come in a back-and-forth between prosecutors and defense attorneys over whether those items should be subject to doctor-patient confidentiality. The judge ultimately ruled in October that prosecutors could keep the items.

Read more:

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_22323293/aurora-theater-shooting-cops-took-pill-bottles-from

Lot of links to hearing today:

Bought Ticket 12Days in Advance:
" Grizzle, a former paramedic, says ambulances had not yet made it to the theater, so he began loading victims into his patrol car and driving to the hospital.

"I knew I needed to get them to the hospital now, " Grizzle said, tearing up. "I didn't want anyone else to die."

Grizzle drove six victims in four trips, saying that by the end there was so much blood in his patrol car he could hear it "sloshing around."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/accused-aurora-shooter-james-holmes-court-police-break/story?id=18150556

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-surveillance-video-shows-james-holmes-entering-aurora-theater-20130107,0,4578487.story

James Holmes Hearing: Accused Aurora Shooter Was ‘Just Standing There’ After Theater Rampage

" The first day of preliminary hearings in the case of the Aurora, Colo. theater shooting was an emotional one, as police officers testified about what they saw when responding to the scene of the bloody July 20 rampage that killed 12 people and injured 58. "

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/01/07/james-holmes-hearing-accused-aurora-shooter-was-just-standing-there-after-theater-rampage/


James Holmes 'very relaxed' after theater massacre, officer says

"Holmes did not resist and seemed “very relaxed” and detached, the officer testified. He was dripping with sweat and his pupils were dilated; he did not display “normal emotions.”

" Because of a gag order in the case, many details of the investigation have been kept under wraps until this week."

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/07/16390880-james-holmes-very-relaxed-after-theater-massacre-officer-says?lite

Victim's father: Shooter was 'like a robot'

8:01 PM, Jan 7, 2013



Video - Click to play

Written by
Blair Shiff

KUSA - Monday marked the first time Sam Soudani saw the Aurora theater shooting suspect in person.

AURORA THEATER SHOOTING STORIES

His daughter, 23-year-old Farrah Soudani, was seriously injured by a device police say the shooting suspect threw into theater 9 on July 20.

Sam did not want to go to the preliminary hearing on Monday, but he felt that he had to. However, he described seeing the shooting suspect in court as well as hearing from various victims' families as "agony."

Read more:

http://www.9news.com/news/article/309138/222/Victims-father-Shooter-was-like-a-robot

Video - Click to play

FULL interview with Sam Soudani - theater victim's father

9NEWS.com. 01/07/13.

http://www.9news.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=2079912020001

Video _ Click to play

Theater shooting hearing starts, officers testify

9NEWS at 01/07/13

http://www.9news.com/video/2079869917001/1/Theater-shooting-hearing-starts-officers-testify

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/updates-testimony-james-holmes-preliminary-hearing-140248404.html


[Updated at 7:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. MT]
CENTENNIAL, Colo. - At times late Tuesday afternoon, Sgt. Fyles had to pause to compose himself while on the stand confirming the names and injuries of all 83 people killed, shot or injured by suspected gunman James Holmes' actions.

Judge enters not guilty plea for James Holmes

By Evening Express staff
updated 1:01 PM EDT, Tue March 12, 2013

•James Holmes is accused of killing 12 in shooting rampage at a Colorado movie theater
•Attorneys had suggested they may enter plea of not guilty by reason of insanity
•Judge: Holmes may get ‘truth serum’ with insanity plea


The attorneys for James Holmes said they weren't ready to enter a plea for him on Tuesday, so a judge entered a standard not guilty plea on his behalf.

Holmes is charged with a total of 166 counts of murder, attempted murder and other charges related to the mass shooting at an Aurora, Colorado movie theater in July 2012 that left 12 people dead and 58 injured.

Holmes' attorneys had suggested they might enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, according to court documents.

The judge said Holmes could be subjected to 'truth serum' and a polygraph to determine if he really was legally insane at the time of the shootings.

Read more:

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/03/12/james-holmes-not-guilty-plea-judge-enters?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Colorado Shooter James Holmes' Guilty Plea Offer Rejected

By CAROL McKINLEY and CHRISTINA NG
March 29, 2013

(VIDEO)

Colorado prosecutors have rejected movie theater shooting suspect James Holmes' offer of a guilty plea in exchange for life in prison instead of the death penalty.

"While the defense suggested that the defendant be allowed to plead guilty on his terms, the prosecution indicated that it could not even consider such an offer without specific additional information, which the defense refused to provide," prosecutors wrote in their response Thursday, according to ABC News' Denver affiliate KMGH.

Read more:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/james-holmes-guilty-plea-offer-rejected-aurora-movie/story?id=18839143

Documents: Lawyers say law would allow insanity plea in Colo. shooting over Holmes’ objections

By Associated Press, Apr 30, 2013 12:25 AM EDT

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Attorneys for the Colorado theater shooting suspect suggested in a court filing Monday that they might be considering entering a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity over their client’s objections.

They raised that possibility in a document that outlines their dilemma over how to give plea advice to James Holmes, who could be executed if he’s convicted of more than 160 counts of murder and attempted murder.

Holmes’ lawyers say overlapping elements of Colorado laws on insanity pleas and the death penalty could violate his protection against self-incrimination, his right to present evidence in his own defense and other provisions of the U.S. and state constitutions.

Read more:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/documents-lawyers-say-law-would-allow-insanity-plea-in-colo-shooting-over-holmes-objections/2013/04/29/6dea2c46-b12c-11e2-9fb1-62de9581c946_story.html

Colorado shootings suspect to enter insanity plea

Posted: May 07, 2013 4:22 PM CDT
Updated: May 07, 2013 7:22 PM CDT

By DAN ELLIOTT
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) - The man accused in the deadly Colorado theater shootings wants to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity, his lawyers said Tuesday, despite their fears that the plea could severely hamper his ability to mount a defense against the death penalty.

James Holmes is charged with more than 160 counts of murder and attempted murder in the July 20 assault on a packed Aurora movie theater that killed 12 and injured 70. Prosecutors announced last month they would seek the death penalty.

Holmes was widely expected to plead insanity given the compelling evidence against him, but his attorneys put it off for weeks, saying state laws on the death penalty and insanity overlap in ways that violate his constitutional rights and his ability to mount an effective defense.

Read more:

http://www.abc12.com/story/22186956/colorado-shootings-suspect-to-enter-insanity-plea

James Holmes' Insanity Plea Accepted by Court in Colorado Theater Massacre



By CLAYTON SANDELL, CAROL McKINLEY and CHRISTINA NG
CENTENNIAL, Colo. June 4, 2013

A Colorado judge has accepted accused theater shooter James Holmes' plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, a move that could spare him from the death penalty.

The decision sets in motion a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation of Holmes, a process that could take months.

~Snipped~

Holmes, 25, could face the death penalty if tried and convicted. The insanity plea could help him avoid execution, if convicted.

If Holmes is found not guilty by reason of insanity, he would be committed indefinitely to the state mental hospital, according to the Associated Press. He could eventually be released if doctors found that his sanity was restored, but that is unlikely.

Read more:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/james-holmes-insanity-plea-accepted-court-colorado-theater/story?id=19320525

Judge accepts insanity plea in Colo. shooting case

By DAN ELLIOTT— Jun. 4 5:10 PM EDT



CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — A judge accepted James Holmes' long-awaited plea of not guilty by reason of insanity Tuesday and ordered him to undergo a mental evaluation — an examination that could be a decisive factor in whether the Colorado theater shooting suspect is convicted and sentenced to die.

~Snipped~

He will now be examined by the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, but it's not certain when the evaluation will begin or how long it will take. Hospital officials have said that before they meet with Holmes, they want to review evidence in the case, which prosecutors said totals nearly 40,000 pages.

Judge Carlos Samour Jr. set a tentative date of Aug. 2 for the exam to be complete but said he would push that back if hospital officials request more time. Samour indicated he still hopes to begin Holmes' trial in February.

~Snipped~

Holmes needed Samour's approval to enter the insanity plea because a judge had entered a standard not guilty plea on Holmes' behalf in March.

Read more:

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/james-holmes-could-enter-insanity-plea-tuesday

James Holmes can wear street clothes during movie massacre trial

By Jenny Deam
June 11, 2013, 3:50 p.m.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- The judge in James E. Holmes' murder trial in the Aurora movie theater massacre ruled Tuesday that the defendant can wear street clothes to court and that prospective jurors will not be sequestered during what is expected to be a lengthy selection process.

In allowing Holmes to shed his prison clothes, Judge Carlos Samour Jr. quoted from a Colorado appellant ruling: “The presumption of innocence requires the garb of innocence.” He also cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that determined wearing prison clothes is “inherently prejudicial.”

Holmes, 25, is scheduled to stand trial in February 2014 on a total of 166 counts of first degree murder, attempted murder and weapons charges in connection with last summer’s Aurora movie theater massacre. Twelve people died and 70 were injured on July 20 when a gunman opened fired in a packed movie theater during a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Holmes could face the death penalty if he is convicted.

Read more:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-james-holmes-street-clothes-0130611,0,3485942.story


______________________


Alleged Aurora Theater Shooter to Wear Street Clothes At Trial

June 12, 2013 by Ruthann Robson

For defendants who are incarcerated at the time of their trial, the issue of their clothing can be a fraught one with constitutional consequences.  Does “prison garb” – - – as it is usually called – - – deny a defendant a fair trial?

In the case of James Holmes, the alleged Aurora shooter, the trial judge has reportedly ruled that Holmes must be allowed to wear “street clothes”:  ““The presumption of innocence requires the garb of innocence.”

The judge presumably relied upon Estelle v. Williams, decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1976.  The Court unequivocally held that compelling a defendant to wear “prison garb” during the state court trial was a violation of the right to a fair trial inherent in the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.

Read more:

http://www.dressingconstitutionally.com/2013/06/12/alleged-aurora-theater-shooter-to-wear-street-clothes-at-trial/

Holmes lawyers again challenge death penalty

By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press 4:06 p.m.Aug. 16, 2013

DENVER —Lawyers for theater shooting suspect James Holmes launched another legal assault on Colorado's death penalty laws Friday, arguing they don't set clear standards and that they make it too hard for jurors to weigh mitigating factors.

They also complained that Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos A. Samour is ruling on defense motions too quickly and asked him to allow them to argue their points "fully and fairly."

Holmes is accused of opening fire in a theater full of people watching a Batman movie in suburban Denver in July 2012, killing 12 and wounding 70. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to multiple charges of murder and attempted murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

In two motions totaling 32 pages of arguments, defense lawyers argued the death penalty law is unconstitutional and asked Samour to rule out execution for Holmes.

Read more:

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/aug/16/holmes-lawyers-again-challenge-death-penalty/all/?print

COLORADO STATE JUDICIAL BRANCH

12CR1522 The People of the State of Colorado v. James Holmes - documents from 07/20/2012 to 09/27/2012

http://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/District/Case_Details.cfm?Case_ID=152


12CR1522 The People of the State of Colorado v. James Holmes - documents from 07/10/2013 to present

Next proceeding: 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30, 2013, Courthouse 2, Courtroom 22.

http://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/District/Case_Details.cfm?Case_ID=245

'I want to watch him die': Victims of Colorado movie theater massacre applaud death penalty decision and say they want James Holmes dead

By Associated Press Reporter

PUBLISHED:06:56 EST, 1 April 2013| UPDATED:07:30 EST, 2 April 2013

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2302301/James-Holmes-death-penalty-decision-I-want-watch-die-say-victims-Colorado-theater-shooting.html#ixzz2cINDc5TY

Accused Colorado theater gunman competent to stand trial, evaluators say

BY KEITH COFFMAN
DENVER Fri Dec 20, 2013 11:33pm EST

(Reuters) - The former graduate student accused of gunning down scores of patrons in a Colorado movie theater last year was found competent to stand trial by court-appointed sanity evaluators, a judge said Friday.

The disclosure by Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour came in the course of legal wrangling over the evaluations that threaten to delay for months a possible trial for 26-year-old James Holmes, who is charged with killing 12 people and wounding dozens more during a midnight screening of the Batman film, "The Dark Knight Rises", in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

Lawyers for Holmes have invoked the insanity defense for the accused gunman, triggering an evaluation by state mental health experts that looked both at his sanity at the time of the shootings as well as his competence to stand trial currently.

Read more:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/21/us-usa-colorado-shooting-idUSBRE9BK03020131221

Holmes jury selection to be open to public, media

Posted: Jun 11, 2014 4:50 PM CDT
Updated: Jun 11, 2014 6:43 PM CDT

By DAN ELLIOTT
Associated Press  

DENVER (AP) - Jury selection in the Colorado theater shootings case will be open to the public and the news media, the judge said Wednesday.

District Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. denied requests from prosecutors and the defense to close all or part of the process, saying openness and media scrutiny will "enhance the reliability and fairness of the process."

Jury selection is scheduled to start Oct. 14 for the trial of James Holmes, who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to killing 12 people and injuring 70 in the 2012 attack. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

The defense argued the presence of reporters would intimidate prospective jurors and discourage them from being candid about any prejudices they have, making it impossible to choose an unbiased jury.

In his 29-page ruling, Samour called that a "doomsday prediction" and said it was only speculation. He said the presence of reporters would probably discourage potential jurors from making up answers.

Media organizations, including The Associated Press, argued an open jury selection would not preclude Holmes from getting a fair trial.

Read more:

http://www.kltv.com/story/25754385/holmes-jury-selection-to-be-open-to-public-media

FBI Analysts OK'd to Testify at James Holmes Trial

DENVER — Jun 19, 2014, 8:52 AM ET

The Associated Press

Two FBI crime scene analysts will be allowed to testify at the trial of the man charged with the massacre at a Colorado movie theater.

The judge ruled on Wednesday that FBI experts in bullet trajectories are credible and can testify as prosecution witnesses at the trial of James Holmes.

Holmes' lawyers had argued that testimony from crime scene experts is unreliable.

Holmes is charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder in the July 2012 attack, which killed 12 people and injured 70. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Holmes' trial is scheduled to start with jury selection on Oct. 14.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/fbi-analysts-okd-testify-james-holmes-trial-24208748

Lawyers for accused Colorado theater gunman want media leaks probed

By Keith Coffman
DENVER  Mon Aug 11, 2014 9:11pm EDT

(Reuters) - Lawyers for accused movie theater gunman James Holmes are seeking a special prosecutor to probe whoever leaked to Fox News details about their client's plans to commit mass murder, a motion made public on Monday showed.

As part of their effort to identify law-enforcement sources used in a story published five days after the July 2012 massacre, defense lawyers asked Arapahoe County District Court Judge Carlos Samour to appoint an outside agency to trace the source of the leaks.

~Snipped~

Citing two unnamed law-enforcement officials, the online article by New York-based Fox News reporter Jana Winter said Holmes had sent a notebook outlining his plans to commit mass murder to a psychiatrist who was treating him.

Read more:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/12/us-usa-shooting-denver-idUSKBN0GC01U20140812?feedType=RSS

Doing some homework.
Leave it to you to decide...

https://youtu.be/PLlWV6UFF1U

By Crimesider Staff / AP /  December 29, 2014, 4:12 PM

13 excused from jury pool in Colo. theater shooting case

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Twelve potential jurors in the Colorado theater shooting case have been excused because they are prosecution witnesses, and another was dismissed because she works for the district attorney's office.

The dismissals, made public Friday, were believed to be the first since 9,000 juror summonses were mailed Dec. 11.

The judge wants to choose 12 jurors and 12 alternates to hear the case against James Holmes, who is charged with killing 12 people and injuring 70 in the attack on July 20, 2012.

Read more:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/13-excused-from-jury-pool-in-aurora-colorado-theater-shooting-case/

RELATED ARTICLES:

James Holmes’ parents plead against death penalty

By Associated Press
Published: December 19, 2014, 9:32 am

Read more:

http://wane.com/2014/12/19/james-holmes-parents-plead-against-death-penalty/

Theater Shooting Lawyers Seek Info From Each Other

December 31, 2014 3:07 PM

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) – Prosecutors and defense attorneys in the Colorado theater shooting case are accusing each other of withholding key information again, just weeks before the trial is set to begin.

In court filings released Wednesday, prosecutors asked a judge to order James Holmes’ lawyers to turn over summaries of what their expert witnesses plan to say during testimony. And defense attorneys say prosecutors also haven’t provided certain information about the witnesses they plan to call.

Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. didn’t immediately rule on the motions but has encouraged attorneys to err on the side of giving each other more information when possible.

Read more:

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/12/31/theater-shooting-lawyers-seek-info-from-each-other/

________________________

More articles/information here:

James Holmes - CBS Denver

http://denver.cbslocal.com/tag/james-holmes/

Holmes defense to take reporter to Supreme Court

4:50 PM, Jan 31, 2014

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) - Lawyers for the man accused of killing 12 people at a Colorado movie theater say they'll ask the U.S. Supreme Court to require a Fox News reporter to reveal the confidential sources she used in a story about defendant James Holmes.

Defense attorneys revealed their plans Friday at the end of a pretrial hearing in the case.

The attorneys had sought to force reporter Jana Winter to reveal sources cited in her report that Holmes sent a notebook containing violent images to his psychiatrist before the 2012 attack. New York state's top court ruled that Winter did not have to testify in Colorado because she's protected by her home state's shield law.

Read more:

http://archive.9news.com/news/local/article/375765/222/Holmes-defense-to-take-reporter-to-Supreme-Court

James Holmes defense to take case of Fox News reporter Jana Winter to Supreme Court

Published January 31, 2014 · Associated Press


FoxNews.com reporter Jana Winter, right, and her attorneys are shown after the New York Court of Appeals threw out a subpoena requiring her to go to Colorado and reveal sources for an exclusive story or face jail. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

CENTENNIAL, Colo. –  Lawyers for the man accused of killing 12 people at a Colorado movie theater said Friday they will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to require a Fox News reporter to reveal the confidential sources she used in a story about defendant James Holmes.

The defense wants reporter Jana Winter to identify the law enforcement officials who told her that Holmes sent a notebook containing violent images to his psychiatrist before the 2012 attack.

Holmes' lawyers say whoever spoke to Winter violated a gag order and should be punished. They also say that officers might have lied when they denied under oath being Winter's sources, undermining their credibility as potential trial witnesses.

~Snipped~

A Colorado court issued a subpoena for Winter's testimony, but because she is based in New York, that state's courts would have to enforce it.

Winter has said she would not identify the sources, even though the Colorado court could sentence her to jail for contempt of court for refusing.

Winter's attorney, Dori Hanswirth, didn't immediately return a call. Hanswirth previously expressed doubt that the Supreme Court would intervene.

Read more:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/01/31/holmes-defense-to-take-fox-news-reporter-jana-winter-to-supreme-court/

Theater shooting judge denies evidence sharing motions
 
Published 6:25 pm, Tuesday, January 6, 2015

DENVER (AP) — The judge in the Colorado theater shooting case says attorneys won't have to share more details of what key witnesses will testify about at trial.

Prosecutors had asked the judge to order James Holmes' attorneys to provide summaries of what their expert witnesses plan to say during testimony. And defense attorneys say prosecutors haven't provided certain information about the witnesses they plan to call.

The Denver Post reports (http://dpo.st/1s3pkX8 ) Judge Carlos Samour mostly denied both sides' motions Tuesday, saying they aren't legally bound to share more information than they already have. But he cautioned that if either side tries to introduce expert testimony that has not been previously disclosed, he might prevent them from doing so.

Rad more:

http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Theater-shooting-judge-denies-evidence-sharing-5998012.php

Not all states require mutual exchange of evidence, depositions, etc.
All states DO require the state (prosecution) to share the evidence in advance of trial with the defense.

Reading here but keeping silent. Watching.
Common denominators with other shootings being noted.
In particular, Columbine.... Mind control has been something the gov't has experimented with for a long time.
I do wonder, since the theater shooting, JonBenet, and Columbine are each in Colorado, who is in charge of the various fed agencies there... Is this an aggressive field activity(-ies) with the likes of a SO Gore in charge of a Ruby Ridge?

Judge won’t postpone James Holmes theater shooting trial

‘The Court will not allow it to be unnecessarily and improperly delayed simply because it is a death penalty case,’ judge writes in order.

By Jason Sickles, Yahoo
January 14, 2015 5:40 PM
Yahoo News

The Colorado judge overseeing the James Holmes murder case on Wednesday denied an 11th-hour attempt to have the much-anticipated trial delayed again.

With jury selection set to begin Jan. 20, Holmes’ court-appointed defense team asked the court last week for more time to sift through hundreds of pages of new evidence, among other things.

~Snipped~

In his order, Judge Carlos Samour wrote that the defense’s request “falls short on the merits.”

“Regardless of how ‘enormous’ this case is, the ‘unbelievable amount of information’ that must be processed and the complexity of the mental health issues involved … it is irrefutable that the defense counsel, their expert witnesses and their staff have had an abundant amount of time to prepare for trial,” Samour wrote.

The trial date has been postponed five other times for various reasons. But now it appears Judge Samour is growing impatient.

Read more:

http://news.yahoo.com/judge-won-t-postpone-james-holmes-theater-shooting-trial-223835287.html

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Experts: If Holmes Found Insane, He’s Unlikely To Be Freed

January 15, 2015 8:02 AM

DENVER (AP) — If James Holmes is found not guilty by reason of insanity in the Colorado theater massacre, he would be committed indefinitely to the state mental hospital and could — in theory, at least — be released someday.

But psychiatrists and attorneys say that’s highly unlikely, given the enormity of the shootings and the notoriety they have generated.

“He doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of ever walking off the grounds of the Colorado state hospital,” said Dr. Steven Pitt, a forensic psychiatrist based in Scottsdale, Arizona, who works on criminal cases but is not involved in the Holmes case.

Read more:

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/01/15/experts-if-holmes-found-insane-hes-unlikely-to-be-freed/

Why it’s taken so long to bring Colorado theater shooter James Holmes to trial

By Jason Sickles, Yahoo
January 16, 2015  - 7 hours ago
Yahoo News

When the first potential juror in Case No. 12CR1522 arrives at the Arapahoe County courthouse on Tuesday, two years, six months and a day will have passed since the defendant terrorized a packed Denver-area movie theater with guns and tear gas.

That’s nearly three times the 12-month timetable the Supreme Court of Colorado recommends for judges to process felony criminal cases.

“That means from arrest to sentencing in one year,” said Greg Hurley, an expert on judicial administration. But “there’s going to be some of these cases where that just can’t happen.”

The State of Colorado v. James Eagan Holmes is unquestionably one of them.

Since Holmes gave himself up to police minutes after killing 12 people and wounding 70 others at a midnight screening of the Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” in July 2012, there have been:

• Five trial dates
• Two judges
• A request for a third judge (denied)
• Two sanity evaluations
• More than 1,700 motions, notices, orders and other documents filed

Read more:

http://news.yahoo.com/why-its-taken-so-long-to-bring-colorado-theater-shooter-james-holmes-to-trial-183657552.html

James Holmes lawyers face struggle to find impartial jurors as shooting trial opens

Jury selection begins on Tuesday for Holmes, who faces 166 charges after he shot and killed 12 people at the Century 21 movie theater in Aurora July 2012

Jon Swaine in Centennial
Monday 19 January 2015 13.00 EST

Had their final date taken them to different seats, at another cinema, on some other warm summer night, Jansen Young and Jon Blunk might be happily celebrating Blunk’s 29th birthday in Aurora, Colorado, on Tuesday.

Instead, Young alone must face the start of the trial ​of the man who bought up guns and ammunition during the couple’s giddy courtship in 2012, before walking into a screening of The Dark Knight Rises and shooting dead Blunk, a ​navy veteran, as he shielded Young with his body.

~Snipped~

About 9,000 people have been summonsed to Arapahoe County ​district ​court for consideration as jurors. The whittling down of this vast pool, thought to be the biggest in US judicial history, is expected to take up to four months. Holmes’s case has already been beset by multiple delays, pre-trial disputes, an avalanche of legal paperwork, and the appointment of a replacement judge. His trial is expected to last up to eight months in all.

~Snipped~

If Holmes is convicted, the jury will be asked to decide in a second phase of the trial whether he should be executed or sentenced to life in prison. If he is found not guilty, he will be ordered to a state mental facility. While he could theoretically secure release one day by persuading authorities that he no longer poses a threat to himself or others, psychiatrists are unlikely to sign off on freeing such a mass killer.

Read more:

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jan/19/james-holmes-trial-lawyers-aurora-theater-shooting

Movie massacre trial of James Holmes begins with 9,000 potential jurors (Video)

By Michael Martinez, CNN
Updated 6:33 PM ET, Tue January 20, 2015

(CNN)—The logistics of putting James Holmes on trial are as staggering as the carnage he allegedly committed in a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, in July 2012 when 12 people were killed and 58 others injured in gunfire.

Consider this: Some 9,000 potential jurors are being summoned, and the jury selection that began Tuesday could last until May or June when the trial would finally start.

Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. told the first pool of potential jurors Tuesday that if chosen for the jury, they cannot read, watch or hear anything about the case. "This will require great effort on your part," the judge said three times.

Read more:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/20/us/colorado-james-holmes-trial-movie-massacre/index.html

More potential jurors dismissed from theater shooting trial

Posted: Jan 28, 2015 11:12 PM CST
Updated: Jan 28, 2015 11:12 PM CST

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) - Nearly 600 potential jurors in the Colorado theater shooting trial have been dismissed so far.

The Aurora Sentinel reports 143 were released Wednesday, bringing the total to 598. About 1,700 prospective jurors have reported for jury duty over the past seven days.

The jury's job will be not only to decide whether James Holmes was insane when he killed 12 people and wounded 70 others during the July 2012 attack on a Denver area theater, but it might also be asked whether he should be executed.

Read more:

http://www.katc.com/story/27968873/more-potential-jurors-dismissed-from-theater-shooting-trial

Colorado massacre suspect James Holmes to be restrained during trial

By Dan Elliott, Associated Press
Friday Jun 28, 2013 4:53 AM

Colorado theater shooting suspect James Holmes will be restrained during his trial by wearing a harness under his clothes that will be anchored to the floor, the judge said Thursday.

Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. also ruled the jury will not be sequestered during the trial, which is scheduled to start in February and is expected to take four months.

Read more:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/28/19187522-colorado-massacre-suspect-james-holmes-to-be-restrained-during-trial?lite

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Judge May Speed Up Jury Selection Process In Aurora Shooting Case

January 30, 2015 11:44 AM

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) – The judge overseeing jury selection for the trial of James Holmes says he might be in a position to speed up the process.

Judge Carlos Samour said Friday he may begin questioning potential jurors individually on Feb. 11, which is six days earlier than the original schedule.

Samour says he believes he will have 2,0000 completed juror questionaires by Feb. 9.

Read more:

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/01/30/judge-may-speed-up-jury-selection-process-in-aurora-shooting-case/

Cost of Colorado theater shooting case exceeds $5 million months before opening arguments

Lawyer salaries and security top expenditures, records reveal

By Jason Sickles, Yahoo
February 3, 2015 4:38 AM
Yahoo News


Top attorneys in the State of Colorado v. James Holmes. (L-R) Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler, Chief Deputy District Attorney Karen Pearson, Public Defender Chief Trial Deputy Daniel King and Public Defender Chief Trial Deputy Tamara Brady. (Getty Images)

The criminal court case against Colorado theater gunman James Holmes has already absorbed at least $5.5 million in public monies, according to records obtained by Yahoo News.

That’s $2 million more than the estimated average cost of a completed Colorado death penalty trial — and the contentious Holmes proceeding is still months away from opening arguments.

“Keep adding it up, this isn't ending anytime soon,” said Justin Marceau, a professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law who has studied the costs of capital murder trials.

Read more:

http://news.yahoo.com/cost-of-colorado-theater-shooting-exceeds-5-million-months-before-opening-arguments-185259025.html

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Aurora Theater Shooting: Juror Dismissed in James Holmes Trial After Tearing Her Hair Out

By Tara Fowler @waterfowlerta
02/04/2015 AT 11:10 AM EST

A prospective juror was dismissed in the James Holmes trial on Tuesday after she fell to the ground in tears and tore her hair out.

Read more:

http://www.people.com/article/aurora-shooting-james-holmes-juror-dismissed

Judge in theater shooting trial will allow holding-cell video

Associated Press, news source 4:55 p.m. MST February 25, 2015

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) - The judge overseeing the Colorado theater shooting case says jurors can see a video of defendant James Holmes in a holding cell that was recorded two months after the attack.

Judge Carlos A. Samour's order Monday came over objections from defense attorneys who said the video should be excluded from evidence because prosecutors shared it too late. The 11-minute video shows Holmes in a cell at the courthouse on Sept. 20, 2012, but its significance hasn't been disclosed.

~Snipped~

Jury selection is ongoing, and opening statements could happen in April or May.

Read more:

http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/aurora-theater-trial/2015/02/25/james-holmes-holding-cell-video/24023349/

AP / March 9, 2015, 11:56 AM

James Holmes jury selection is sometimes surreal

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - While the 2012 Colorado theater shooting was horrific, leaving 12 people dead and 70 injured, the process of assembling a jury to try defendant James Holmes is far more subdued, with moments ranging from the mundane to the surreal.

Jury selection began in January, when more than 9,000 prospective jurors were summoned in what experts called the biggest jury pool in U.S. history. After filling out lengthy questionnaires, thousands were asked to return for individual questioning that began Feb. 11 and has so far yielded more than 50 people who can come back for still more screening.

Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. hopes to seat a jury to hear opening statements on April 21 or April 27.

Read more:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-holmes-jury-selection-is-sometimes-surreal/