James Holmes Draft 2
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Transcript of James Holmes Draft 2
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James Holmes v. The People of theState of Colorado
Caleb --
English 103
--
October 28, 2012
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Table of Contents
I. Introduction 2
II. Childhood
a. Experiences 2
b. Parents 3
III. Adolescence
a. High school 3
b. Programs 4
IV. College to PhD. Program
a. College Life 5
b. Grad School Applications 6
c. Grad School 7
V. Psychological Issues
a. Psychiatrist visits 7
VI.The Shooting
a. Events Prior 8
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b. Theater 9 10
VII.Conclusion 11
VIII. References 13
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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 drugged-
up, 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
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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.
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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
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5oVUqFF_mUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5oVUqFF_mU -
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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
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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
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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
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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,
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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 Cold-
Blooded 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.
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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.