Cryptic Colorado shooter appears before judge

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
7/24/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Bleary-eyed Holmes is not speaking to authorities, claimed to be the Joker.

The suspected gunman who murdered 12 people and wounded at least 58 others at an Aurora Colorado movie theater, faced a judge for the first time today. The accused, James Holmes, has exercised his right to remain silent. Holmes is accused of going on a shooting rampage during a premier of Batman, the Dark Knight Rises.

Holmes did not speak during the proceedings.

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AURORA, CO (Catholic Online) - With his hair dyed bright red, and dressed in a maroon jumpsuit, the apparently bleary Holmes sat next to his public defender as the judge advised him of the case. Meanwhile, victims' relatives were reportedly present in the courtroom to view the proceedings.

Holmes did not speak.

The judge granted a request from prosecutors for more time before officially charging Holmes. Prosecutors say they may seek the death penalty for Holmes after consultations with victim's families.

Meanwhile, police say that Holmes has been uncooperative since his arrest, and is refusing to answer any questions. He is currently being held in on suicide watch, in a county detention facility. Because he is refusing to speak, it could take weeks or months to learn just what prompted the shootings.

On CBS' Face the Nation, Aurora Police Chief, Dan Oates praised his officers for quickly spotting and detaining Holmes. While he was dressed in black tactical gear, such outlandish dress is common at large movie premieres as fans dress in costume. However, officers noticed a gas mask, which prompted them to challenge Holmes. Holmes used tear gas in his attack.

"There was one particular piece of equipment that he had on him that was out of place, and I am so proud of my officers that they spotted that right away and challenged him," Oates told Face the Nation.

Holmes is suspected of perpetrating one of the worst mass shootings in US history. Holmes apparently planned the attack months in advance, buying guns around Denver for the past two months. Police say he has received nearly 50 packages at his apartment in that time.

Police also say his apartment was rigged with booby traps of various sorts, including tripwires, explosives, and various unidentified liquids. A bomb squad spent most of Saturday clearing the apartment while residents were evacuated.

Holmes was a graduate student at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and a member of that school's Ph.D. program. The program is training just 35 students as physicians. Officials are trying to determine if any of his fellow colleagues noticed anything unusual about his behavior. Campus officials are also trying to determine if he used his status as a graduate student to obtain chemicals and materials that he used in the attack.

On Sunday, President Obama visited mourning families and joined in prayers that were echoed across the nation.

Members of Holmes' family say that he has always been shy and reserved, a good student, but humble.

Meanwhile, owners of a Colorado gun range may have had the first clues - they denied him membership after he left a voicemail message that was described as "bizarre." The voicemail may be the first clue in unraveling the mystery of why Holmes chose to carry out a brutal, vicious attack on dozens of innocent people.

� 2012, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: James Holmes, Aurora, Colorado, movie theater, Batman the Dark Knight Rises, shooting

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1 - 2 of 2 Comments

quan
9 months ago
No word we can imagine, senseless, despicable, horrific, surreal, tragic, can seem to explain it all. Our condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims of the Aurora, Colorado shooting of July 20, 2012 bit.ly/SQvFiQ
DLL
9 months ago
The Joker is a number 1 villain of all time. The Joker never dies he just keeps coming as a rival of Batman time and time again. The Joker is a comic book Devil. This Colorado killer seems to be motivated to take on the character of this Joker. I wonder if he hand't had it in mind for years. To be a super villain one would have to be like the Joker,super smart. Holmes has achieved the kind of education necessary to become this super villain. A loner in a fantasy world has a lot of time to think and to plan. So many young people are in a fantasy world these days that the reality of what they are actually doing escapes them. Tattoos that these young people wear these days say a lot about their fantasies,especially Gothic fantasies. Holmes as the Joker planned the mass murder during the showing of a batman movie. Gothic City is the city of Batman,the people in the movie theater seem to represent those that Batman protects but the Joker threatens to kill. Good against evil is the theme,but the Joker seems to be the villain that is indestructible. Holmes mass kills at the theater,he gives up,his apartment is booby trapped,he seems to want to live to see the consequences that will happen to anyone who would dare mess around with his apartment. In court today he looks like he is faking a mental illness,the Joker evidently did this. With his court appearance Holmes still has red hair,he should have shaved his head so he was bald,if he wanted mercy. He is still the Joker. In prison his fantasy might be to plan an event that kills other inmates,creates chaos and he magically escapes. Only the Joker could do this because the joker is the number one villain and killer,he is indestructible. Fantasy and fantastic thinking was a part of the Hippie makeup in the 1960's this seems a part of the way young adults try to escape reality these days. This is why the times we live in have become so dangerous. Reality is to live with a responsibility to oneself and for serving others. Life is meant to be a respected reality. When life is respected at every stage of existence then we can live safely within ourselves and with one another. We are not and should never become life threatening villains. The Joker like the devil,represents chaos,mayhem and murder. The way Batman seems to deal with a villain is to out think him by being able to anticipate the evils they are capable of. Unfortunately in the Batman movie the Joker has been allowed to live from episode to episode,he can never die. The Joker must out of necessity die in these movies. Hopefully with the death of the Joker,good will once again become greater than any evil. It is easier in my opinion to be a devil,but so much harder to be a saint. It is worth it in the end to try and to keep trying all the time,to be the Saint. Peace! Love is greater than Chaos. My sympathy is for all of those who have lost their loved ones in this tragic event.

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