Dark Knight massacre

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Relatives of Aurora Victims 'Horrified' by Joker Trailer

'such unnecessary violence ... chilled me to my bones,' says one victim's mom

(Newser) - Relatives of some of the 12 people killed in a mass shooting during a Batman movie in 2012 say they found the trailer for the new Joker movie disturbing—and they have asked Warner Bros. to help gun control causes. Sandy Phillips, whose daughter, Jessica Ghawi, was killed in the...

Dark Knight Killer's Shrink: Here's Why He Did It

Psychiatrist William Reid gives his insights into mass killer James Holmes

(Newser) - A psychiatrist who spent hours talking with mass murderer James Holmes says that what led Holmes to open fire in a crowded Colorado movie theater was a one-of-a-kind vortex of his mental illness, his personality, and his circumstances—and some other, unknown currents that will probably never be uncovered, the...

James Holmes' Booby-Trapped Apartment Revealed

Police found more than 20 explosives and incendiaries rigged to blow

(Newser) - Evidence released in the wake of James Holmes' sentencing last month gives a shocking look at the deadly booby-traps the 27-year-old Aurora theater shooter had placed around his Colorado apartment. ABC News reports the apartment contained black balls filled with smokeless powder and gasoline; pickle jars containing bullets, thermite, and...

Judge Sentences Holmes, Defends 'the System'

Holmes formally sentenced to life in prison

(Newser) - James Holmes was an angry quitter who gave up on life and turned his hatred into murder and mayhem against innocent victims in a Colorado movie theater, the judge said today before formally sentencing him to life in prison. "It is almost impossible to comprehend how a human being...

James Holmes' Dad Spends Hours Trying to Save Son's Life

Robert Holmes says he was an 'excellent kid'

(Newser) - Robert Holmes has listened to months of testimony on the horror his son was responsible for, but he still loves "Jimmy"—and yesterday, he spent hours trying to save his life. He took the stand as part of the "mitigation" phase of James Holmes' death penalty trial...

Next Phase of Holmes Trial Could Be Most Wrenching

It's the death penalty phase

(Newser) - Families of the 12 people James Holmes killed and the scores he injured in a packed movie theater were relieved that jurors only needed 12 hours to reject the idea that he was legally insane when he opened fire. Now the trial enters a new phase as the jury decides...

Dark Knight Shooter: I Won't Testify

Defense expected to rest its case today

(Newser) - Colorado theater shooter James Holmes has chosen not to testify in his death penalty trial. Holmes told Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. that he had discussed the decision with his attorneys, responding to the judge's questions with direct "Yes" and "No" answers and swiveling slightly in his...

Holmes Defense Tries to Block 'Wrenching' Testimony

Lawyer doesn't want jury to hear about grief of young victim's mother

(Newser) - Defense attorneys for Colorado theater shooter James Holmes want to severely limit the testimony of a woman who was paralyzed, suffered a miscarriage , and whose 6-year-old daughter died in the attack. They say significant parts of Ashley Moser's testimony will unfairly bias jurors because they are too heart-wrenching and...

Seconds Before Shooting, Holmes Called Crisis Line

Massacre carried out 'on autopilot,' he told psychiatrist

(Newser) - James Holmes thought he might be stopped before the Dark Knight massacre and he "kind of" regrets that he wasn't. In hours of interviews from last year being presented at his murder trial, Holmes tells a psychiatrist that as he donned body armor outside the theater, he thought...

Dark Knight Shooter's Diary Finally Opened

Sane or insane? Both sides say diary helps case

(Newser) - Was James Holmes in the grip of madness when he massacred 12 moviegoers in 2012, or had he coldly planned the rampage for months? Both sides in the Dark Knight shooter's trial say the gunman's diary helps their case, and on Tuesday, prosecutors entered it into evidence and...

Big Debate: Is Holmes' 'Smirk' Evidence?

Prosecutors say it shows he was happy with massacre

(Newser) - When a handcuffed James Holmes was asked by one cop whether he had acted alone in the Aurora theater shooting that had ended only minutes before, Holmes said nothing but gave what the officer yesterday described as "a self-satisfying offensive smirk." A prosecutor at Holmes' hearing argued that...

James Holmes' Lawyers: He Was Aurora Gunman

But he was suffering from a 'psychotic episode'

(Newser) - For the first time, James Holmes' lawyers have acknowledged that he was the gunman in the Aurora theater massacre. But he "suffers from a severe mental illness and was in the throes of a psychotic episode when he committed the acts that resulted in the tragic loss of life...

James Holmes Pleads Insanity

Judge accepts plea; mental evaluation to follow

(Newser) - As expected , accused Aurora theater shooter James Holmes pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity today, and a judge accepted the plea—setting the stage for a mental evaluation that could take months. Holmes' lawyers repeatedly have said he is mentally ill, but they delayed the insanity plea while...

James Holmes to Stand Trial: Judge

Prosecutors to proceed with all 166 felony counts filed against him

(Newser) - There's enough evidence for James Holmes to face trial on charges that he killed 12 people and injured 70 others in a Colorado movie theater last summer, a judge ruled late today. Judge William Sylvester said prosecutors have established probable cause to proceed with all 166 felony counts they...

Defense Calls No Witnesses as Holmes Hearing Wraps

Judge's decision expected Friday

(Newser) - James Holmes' preliminary hearing ended today, as the defense decided not to call any witnesses, the AP reports. The judge will rule by Friday on whether the accused Dark Knight shooter should stand trial; Holmes could enter a plea that day if the judge decides he should be tried. Holmes'...

FBI Details James Holmes' Elaborate Booby-Trap

Also: Holmes played sock puppets with paper bags on his hands

(Newser) - An FBI agent today laid out the meticulous detail used by James Holmes to booby-trap his apartment on the night of the Dark Knight massacre in Aurora, Colorado, reports USA Today . According to his plan, a boombox would start blaring in the empty apartment at midnight. When neighbors or police...

James Holmes Sits Coldly in Sad Pretrial Hearing

Officers give moving testimony about 'Dark Knight' massacre

(Newser) - James Holmes sat expressionless at a pretrial hearing today as police officers gave heart-rending testimony about the Dark Knight massacre, the Denver Post reports. Officer Aaron Blue said he held a gunshot victim in the backseat of a car going to the hospital: "Everytime she moved, she stopped breathing,...

Holmes Back in Court as State Makes Its Case

What to expect from the hearing

(Newser) - James Holmes will be back in court today for the first time in almost six months for a preliminary hearing as the prosecution lays out its case against the 25-year-old, to establish whether there is sufficient evidence to put him on trial. Holmes has been charged with 166 counts of...

James Holmes Has Made Multiple Suicide Attempts

Aurora theater shooting suspect was hospitalized after at least one

(Newser) - Dark Knight shooting suspect James Holmes has attempted suicide multiple times recently, sources tell CBS4 Denver , and that's why a hearing originally scheduled for today has been postponed until next month. Defense attorneys asked for the postponement yesterday, citing a vague ailment plaguing Holmes, but did not discuss any...

Thief Takes Camera With Last Photos of Aurora Victim

Her grandfather pleads for return of the memory card

(Newser) - A burglary victim in Denver hopes his thief has a heart. Robert Sullivan is pleading for the return of a memory card stolen along with four cameras from his home, reports the Denver Post . Sullivan is the grandfather of 6-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan, who was the youngest person killed in the...

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