James Holmes v.

The People of the State of Colorado

Caleb --

English 103 -October 28, 2012

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Table of Contents

I.

Introduction

II. Childhood a. Experiences b. Parents III. Adolescence a. High school b. Programs IV. College to PhD. Program a. College Life b. Grad School Applications

2 3

3 4

5 6 7

c. Grad School
V. Psychological Issues a. Psychiatrist visits VI. The Shooting

a. Events Prior

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b. Theater 9 VII. Conclusion VIII.

10 11 13

References

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Introduction The Aurora shooting case is nothing new, however, only a handful of those who toss judgment on to the case have not looked in to what really happened. James Holmes is a man who was pushed too far from his workload and who was possibly misdiagnosed and put on the wrong medications. He needed help, though no one made the attempt to help this man. Sentencing him to a life in prison, or the death penalty, is unfair, however, he should be placed somewhere where he can regain his previous mental state. Even if the man is never let back out in to society, it is better for him to return to return to the state of mind he was in before than living in prison or dying as a druggedup, foggy-minded shell of his former self. Childhood a. Childhood Experiences James Holmes was born on December 13, 1987 to his parents, Robert and Arlene Holmes. As a child, James was always well-behaved. He was liked by everyone around him, and he excelled in soccer and flag football, as well as computer programming. James has been naturally gifted in academics. Hes been smart, ever since he was a child. James, often called Jimmy, had shown no signs of mental instability as a child and it was said he grew up in near perfect conditions. He has a

-- 5 younger sister, named Chris, who is five years younger than himself (Lutz, How James Holmes). James was raised in Castroville, CA (To which he referenced to be the Artichoke Capital in his graduate school applications) through elementary school. From there, his family moved to San Diego, CA where he lived until he attended college. b. Parents James parents, Robert and Arlene Holmes. His mother Arlene is a registered nurse, while his father is a senior scientist at FICO. FICO is a company that provides credit scores, along with other information. (Lutz, How James Holmes) His parents worked hard to provide him and his sister with a great childhood. Its also believed that James/Jimmys father held him to high-standards, academically-wise. This has never been stated to be either true or false, but it is merely a speculation by those following the case. Adolescence a. High School When James began high school, his family had already moved to San Diego, away from his childhood home. He attended Westview High School in the Torrey Highlands district of San Diego. This district is considered to be one of the upper-class parts of San Diego, where its residents make about $130,000 each per year.

-- 6 Holmes was said to be quite reclusive or quiet during his high school years, a change from his social elementary years. His mother said he kept himself busy with his school work and video games. Holmes was also a member of Westviews Cross Country and soccer teams. Jimmy graduated from Westview High School in 2006. It is currently unknown at what class position he graduated at, however, it is assumed he graduated in the top, as he was a smart child. b. Programs After James had graduated from Westview, he landed an internship at the prestigious Salk University. At Salk, Holmes had worked with John Jacobson on a project on Temporal Illusions. James was set to work with Jacobson due to his knowledge of computer programming. He was working on a program for Jacobsons experiment. According to Jacobsons reports, Holmes had never finished the program and what he had given him was a complete mess. Jacobson described James as someone who was average and socially inept. He had stated that James should have never gotten in to the program, as he wasnt any sort of genius or brilliant neuroscientist. The video, as shown here, displays James giving a presentation of the temporal illusions. Temporal illusions are misfirings in brain cells that lead to misreading the passage of

-- 7 time the feeling that time stands still. In the video, he appears somewhat nervous. He tends to break eye contact often, displaying his social inabilities. Even though he appeared as such in this program, it was never assumed that he could have been dangerous to society. James had spent 8 weeks over his summer after graduating high school here. He had already been accepted to the University of California-Riverside as a neuroscience major. (Strauss, Colorado Suspect James Holmes) College to PhD. Program a. College Life Holmes attended the University of California at Riverside from 2006 to 2010 as a scholarship student. He was academically successful there, unlike his internship over that summer. He had graduated with honors in the difficult neuroscience program. While in college, James appeared to listen to lectures more than actually take notes. His professors often described him as a quiet leader. When he felt necessary, James would take the initiative and become a great leader. Academically, he was at the top of the top, Chancellor Timothy P. White said. (Castillo & Carter, Background of Colorado shooting) While attending UC Riverside, Holmes kept himself clean. He never had any run-ins with the campus police and never found himself in any trouble. He

-- 8 worked hard at school and kept his life in shape. Knowing he was a student with a spotless record will come in to play when we get to the psycho-analysis of James. James also was also a camp counselor at a camp for underprivileged children over a summer in college. He led twelve boys, from ages ten to eleven, in activities throughout the camp. He stated that he learned a lot in the field of leadership through this. He would allow the children to vote on what they wanted to do the day, be it rest, play games, hike However, he stated that this would often lead to chaos, due to many wanting to do things different from the others, so he switched his strategy of leading them to one that ran on more of a schedule. The children he led would often come to him for any sort of problem they were having. He said they would ask him for help with letters they wrote home to parents, one of the children even asking him how to spell amazing. Many of the children he led were diagnosed with a medical condition that required them to take some form of medication. About two kids per cabin had ADHD and he even mentored a child with Schizophrenia. The medication they had to take took them from highly energetic creative kids to lax beings who slept through the activities. Holmes felt that he should help them, but he knew that because of the medication, he couldnt. That is where he

-- 9 felt his studying in neuroscience was much needed. (Holmes, Application for University of Iowa) b. Grad School Applications After graduating from UC Riverside with the highest honors, James began applying to different grad schools to further his degree in neuroscience. He applied at the University of Iowa, University of Illinois, where he was accepted and the University of Colorado Denver, where he was also accepted and chose to attend. James applications stated that he had pursued his degree in neuroscience because of his, foremost passions, the science of learning, cognition and memory. He also said, I have always been fascinated by the complexities of a long lost thought seemingly arising out of nowhere into a stream of awareness. Holmes had also written on his childhood and experiences as a camp counselor in the application, stating that his experiences there are something that is fueling his wanting to become a successful neuroscientist. c. Grad School Holmes immediately began schooling at U of C in Fall of 2011. He was a student in the Anschutz School of Medicine. The neuroscience program in which James was enrolled is one of the most high-pressured research areas for graduate students. Oftentimes, students would sleep on cots in the lab, as to

-- 10 periodically check data throughout the nights. This research would leave the students isolated for many hours with only mice as company. James graduate student career was quite short-lived, as he had begun withdrawing from the program in June of 2012, one month prior to the shooting. It has been reported that James had failed an important oral exam before he withdrew from school and purchased the guns used to shoot dozens of people. (Fuchs, James Holmes Doctorate Program) Psychological Issues a. Psychiatrist Visit While in grad school, every student was required to visit the schools therapist. This included James Holmes. Its still unsure to the public if James visited the school psychiatrist, Dr. Lynne Fenton, only once, or if it was multiple times. However, within however many times he had visited her, she found it necessary to contact and warn the campus police about Holmes. Even though the police had received this warning from the therapist, they decided to not take action in accordance to it. Now, in Colorado, a doctor must feel the patient is a real threat to themselves or others in order to break doctor-patient confidentiality. After James had withdrew himself from the school, he sent Fenton a notebook containing what is believed to be detailed information regarding the crime he was going to commit. Many believe this was a cry for help of sorts from James. That if he had received some sort of indication from Fenton,

-- 11 maybe he wouldnt have taken his actions. However, when he received nothing, he may have taken it as a sign from Fenton to go forward. The notebook Holmes sent to Fenton days before the attack was apparently never received by Fenton and just sat in the universitys mailroom until police had received some notice of it. (Greenblatt, James Holmes Psychiatrist) According to some notes from the Twitters of The Denver Post crime writers, one member of the police force happened to look in to the notebook before turning it in to the court. This is illegal for the officer to do, but it cannot be proven if it was seen through direct actions of his own, or if it was accidental. The Shooting a. Events Prior James Holmes likely began the plotting of this a bit before he fully withdrew from the school. It has been implied that he may have purchased the guns with his scholarship money he was receiving as federal aid. He was given about $2.2K per month, which is the standard for PhD. Students for living and supporting their schooling. James had no other source of income, so the thing here is that the federal government may have funded the biggest massacre in the countrys history, and they dont even know it. (James Holmes Received Thousands)

-- 12 James had purchased four weapons, along with tactical gear that included a body vest and gas mask, and tear gas grenades. This gear was purchased both online and in stores. The weapons he had purchased were an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, which is the civilian version of the M16. He purchased this, along with a Glock .40 caliber pistol, from Gander Mountain gun store in Aurora, CO. He also purchased a second .40 cal Glock and a Remington 870 shotgun from Bass Pro Shops in Denver, CO. He used all of these weapons during the shooting, sans one pistol. (Colo. Shooter Purchased Guns) Prior to the shooting, James had dyed his hair a bright orange. This hair was displayed first on his Adult Friend Finder account. (AFF is a site with the appearance of Facebook that acts as a dating site) Along with this hair, he began to wear a dazed look. There are things that are contradictory to the talks of his dyed hair. Even though it was put up on his dating profile, a man who said he shared a beer with Holmes two days before the shooting stated that Holmes did not don an orange tinted hair, but his normal brown locks. As well as those in the theater that fateful night had seen no presence of an orange-haired man. This seems quite odd, as Holmes would have had to walk past half of the crowd in

-- 13 order to reach the front row where he originally sat, and not even a person sitting in row one said they saw a man with orange hair. b. Theater 9 On the night of July 20th, 2012, James Holmes purchased a ticket for the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises. Those inside were totally unaware of what would come of their night. Prior to the movie starting, Holmes had walked out through the emergency exit, most likely feigning a received phone call, and propped the door open. He walked out to his car, which was parked directly outside of the door, and donned his tactical gear and loaded himself on the guns. Around 20 minutes in, the first tear gas grenade was thrown. One followed the first; however, it was set off in the corner farthest from James. After the grenade was thrown, the shooter entered the theater, beginning to open fire. There were people attempting to scatter through the exits, and there were also those attempting to lie on the ground and feign death. The shooter moved up and down the right exit corridor, shooting whoever he felt like he wanted to. He stopped at a woman and pointed the gun directly to her face; however, he shot the woman behind her. There are

-- 14 multiple listings of what occurred that night. In total, there were 70 people who were shot in the theater. 12 were killed and 58 were injured. This shooting was the biggest mass murder in the country since the Columbine shootings. Holmes was found by police forces out by his car, some believe he was found nearly unconscious inside a locked car. They found all of his tactical gear and weapons. The police proceeded to confirm they had got one of the gunmen. But wait, was Holmes not the sole gunman in the theater? There is no way to prove there was a second gunman, but from police tapes stating they believed there was one, a second gas mask found in the back of the theater (where Holmes never ventured to), and the refusal of police forces to check the video tapes from the theaters cameras. It will most likely never be known if there was a second gunman, however, according to some victims accounts, they saw a man dressed in plaid running from the scene wearing a backpack. Alongside some others who were in the theater who said they saw two gunmen, the story seems to form a nice mystery. This mystery, though, will likely never be solved due to lack of evidence and the fact that police forces have nothing to go on to find a second shooter anymore. (Victim recounts and police interviews) Conclusion The Aurora, CO shooting case is one with an aura of mystery and mystique surrounding it. How a man with so much going for him could just

-- 15 snap out of the blue. Holmes was a simple man who appeared to be a normal, every-day guy. This event just furthers the point that there often is no sign indicating that a person is capable of this. Holmes was completely unaware of his actions during all of this, or it appeared that was such when the first hearing was attended by him. When the judge announced the charges against him, he did not just stare straight, the dazed and confused look he wore turned to one of surprise and amazement. As if he had no idea he had committed that crime. Putting a man like this in prison for the rest of his life or sentencing him to death is not only cruel, but it is unnecessary. The smart being Holmes was is still inside of him, even if it is covered by whatever drugs are being given to him in prison. If Holmes is sentenced to a psychiatric ward for the rest of his life, at least he can live and still have the possibility of contributing something to society, even if he can only stay in a ward. The man was a brilliant neuroscience student, and that knowledge has not been forgotten. In no way do I advocate what Holmes did and I am in no way saying that he is innocent. The only way to tell what is true is to allow this trial to run its course. What I do think, though, is that everyone can make bad decisions in

-- 16 life, some worse than others. Holmes decision was one that is worse, but just because he took lives does not justify our taking of his. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

-- 17 References Bello, Marisol. "Colorado suspect James Holmes wasn't supersmart, neuroscientists say." . Detroit Free Press, 25 2012. Web. 31 Oct 2012. Castillo, Mariano, and Chelsey Carter. "Background of Colorado Shooting Suspect Full of Contrasts." CNN U.S.. CNN News, 22 2012. Web. 31 Oct 2012. Castillo, Michelle. "Colo. shooter purchased guns legally from 3 different stores." CBS News. CBS, 20 2012. Web. 31 Oct 2012. Fuchs, Erin. " REPORT: James Holmes' PhD Program Was Intensely Isolating And Grueling." Business Insider, Law and Order. Business Insider, 27 2012. Web. 31 Oct 2012. Greenblatt, Mark. "James Holmes' Psychiatrist Contacted University Police Weeks Before Movie-Theater Shooting: ABC Exclusive." ABC News. ABC, 6 2012. Web. 31 Oct 2012. Lutz, Ashley. " How James Holmes Went From Shy Nerd To Accused ColdBlooded Killer." . Business Insider, Law and Order , Business Insider, 25 2012. Web. 31 Oct 2012. . "James Holmes received thousands from grad-school grants ahead of deadly Aurora shooting." CBS News. CBS, 25 2012. Web. 31 Oct 2012.

-- 18 Simon, Stephanie, and Dan Whitcomb. "Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes was an 'unusually bad intern' ." The Christian Science Monitor. CS News, 23 2012. Web. 31 Oct 2012.