The day is July 20, 2012. You pay for the tickets to Batman’s latest movie the Dark Knight Rises. With your companions, you step into the theater to see the newest film. The theater is empty, and then the film begins. When the film begins an individual dressed in black and vibrant orange hair comes at the exit point and is carrying an AR-15 with him, and without speaking anything, begins firing at the audience. James Holmes has decided to fulfill his supposed assignment.
He steadily refills his pistol while you hear the screams of people for assistance. The foam on the seats exploding and blood pouring out, with shouting people as you make your way towards the entrance that is swarming with people, and difficult to let anyone out of. As you look around. You see a few as people die and blood dripping from the floor where their corpses lie. Parents are carrying their children around, assuring that they are secure. Children try to assist old people to escape when they slam on their knees.
What do you think of this guy? What is your first response? Type of punishment do you believe this man deserves? Did his request for insaneness seem acceptable?
Who is James Holmes?
James Holmes was an intelligent student who decided to pursue his studies at the University of Colorado Denver to complete his Master’s Degree in Neuropsychology. He told an interviewer that he had an “obsession to kill since I was a kid [and] with age became more and more realistic”, exposing that Holmes had moments in high school when his psychopathic tendencies started to appear and in order to fix himself he “attempted to diagnose his own mental health issues, referencing “catatonia,” “excessive fatigue” and “isolationism.”(Bever). James Holmes had a mother and a father who were both caring about him deeply.
As a child, James Holmes would keep an account of his thoughts in a journal. He wrote down his thoughts just prior to the incident. Holmes was also able to write about how Holmes “debates how he wants to kill people, sketches out theaters to attack, and estimates how long it would take the police to respond to reports of gunfire from inside the theater” ( Healy).
As the days drew closer to the time of shooting the shooting, he began to worry about what would happen next. He informs the psychiatrist of the police that he was convinced that the F.B.I was watching him while driving towards the theater. It is clear Holmes was a shrewd man. Holmes planned his plan since he was extremely paranoid about everything. There was also a report Holmes allegedly took pictures of his ballistic gear arranged over his mattress.
The Day Before shooting
When he reached the theatre, he rang the mental health hotline in order to find out if it was appropriate for him to return. The number was left unanswered, and he did not speak to anyone, even though he could not hear anyone on the opposite one. After he entered the theater that night, witnesses phoned the police. The witness described a man with the black bandana, who was going towards the emergency exit opening it up using his foot. Within a couple of minutes, Holmes re-enters, this the time using tear gas and guns as he shoots the people eager to see Batman The Dark Knight Rises.
In a few minutes The police are on the scene and detain Holmes. While waiting for the police car, Holmes confesses to one other incident. Holmes reveals to officers that the apartment he lives in contains explosives and is able to take out anyone who walks through the front door. Then, he was in silence for several hours. When Holmes was in jail when the police arrived, they went into his residence to remove the explosive. In an interview with the police, Holmes declares that he was “calm and collected” [during the incidentduring the shooting. In the aftermath, Holmes mentions that it found himself “successful in the mission” adding that the shoots “increased my self-worth” ( Holmes).
Cinematic Hero or else just Insanity?
The words of his mouth sounded like the man was committed to murder for the sake of humanity. He was on assignment, and the mission didn’t see human beings as important. He was unable to discern whether his choices were correct or not, since the majority of actors have the same problem.
Also that, the protagonist’s actions are considered to be heroism and justice as they’re the “good guy” fighting the evil one (who is all viewers are afraid of). To the viewers, violence committed by a protagonist can create admiration and awe. (Blunden)
Perhaps he believed you were the main character in the film he was in? Perhaps he saw himself as a heroic individual that had fought for a cause that other people could not understand. There is no way to determine any information about this for certain since he has refused to discuss the entire case. Whatever the case, his behavior have caught the eye of people across America and around the globe.
The results of the trial
On the 20th of July the 20th of July 2012 James Holmes entered the Century Theater located in Aurora, Colorado. James Holmes killed 12 people death, while injuring another 70. The police quickly attend the scene and take him into custody. Holmes was found guilty of insanity and 2 years later Holmes sentencing was made public to the general public. Holmes was sentenced to one life sentence for every victim he killed. Also, 3,318 years of prison time to be sentenced for attempted murder of his victims as well as for the rigging of his home using explosives ( O’Neil).
Although the majority of people believe Holmes was sentenced to death for a mass killer such as Holmes, some are not so sure. A lot of people, like the family of Veronica’s Moser-Sullivan who was just six who died in this incident are of the opinion that placing Holmes on execution row was more appropriate. Based on the evidence his diaries, he did not appear crazy during the time of his murder ( Bever). Aurora residents Aurora are of the opinion that the punishment that he was given isn’t enough and that he ought to be executed.
In the case of people who are like James Holmes, the death sentence can actually prove to be a blessing. A psychopath is one that “appeared outwardly normal,” Doctors referred to it “moral depravity” or “moral insanity” ( Hirstein). That’s why no one or even his own family members, were aware of Holmes his psychopathic brain. Holmes was the only one who Holmes knew the insane part of him. And having no one else to speak to Holmes, he became insane when he went so in the direction of ripping out the hair of his own.
Universal panic
James Holmes’ actions on the night of his arrest caused controversy across the globe. His parents, aware about his illness have travelled to Colorado. The family members of those who suffered continue to grieve for those who have passed away. The trial was launched on July 23rd the 23rd of July, 2012.
The trial begins with heavy heart when witnesses, family members and friends appear to discuss the beloved family members they’ve lost, and the repercussions and horror caused by individual’s decision. One witness was identified as the victim Mr. Medley, tried to talk as the judge demanded “Can you spell your name?” The victim spelled the letters. Was he at the theater on that evening? Y-E-S. The prosecution did not ask him any other concerns” ( Healy the Victims Details). The accident caused him to suffer “severe brain damage” and required “multiple brain surgeries. He went to the hearings on an adapted wheelchair and was accompanied by his spouse and family friends” ( Healy). Mr. Melody’s story was just one of the numerous lives altered that evening.
In the wake of events like this and the resulting deaths, everyone were hoping for Holmes sentence to be over in the shortest time possible however more questions came up. Holmes was convicted of insanity at moment of the crime as did his lawyers and caused the trial be delayed longer than it was. Holmes told the psychiatrist inside the prison “how he had slipped through the emergency exit door of a packed movie theater and opened fire on the crowd” ( Healy) with a calm tone. Following that, Holmes’s private psychiatrist was questioned and was asked questions like “If the defendant had told you about buying weapons and making plans, would you have acted differently,” to which she answered, “yes, it would have shown me he had a plan and intent, not just homicidal thought” ( O’Neil).
The insanity case caused the whole ordeal to take more time
The trial was lengthy and very confusing for all, since there was a constant debate about the question of whether Holmes is insane or otherwise. In the course of the trial, jurors, judges as well as anyone who was watching the proceedings were debating whether Holmes was really insane or was just doing his job. Family members of victims, as well as a lot of people watching the trial pleaded with judges in support of his sanity. They claimed that he was trying to remain as a legal person for an extra time ( Berman).
The court and police were perplexed, since mass shooters like James Holmes are rarely caught “because when there is an active or mass shooting those who open shooting are typically shot dead by police, or their own gun. It is rare for them to be tried” ( Berman). Gomez-Loevano claimed she believed that “for the 176 incidents that involved mass killings with firearms, 46% of the killers committed suicide”, therefore for police to detain the mass shooter was something was never done prior to now.
The insanity trial led to the entire trial to be delayed and, with time, so did Holmes’s sentence. With more evidence being presented, James Holmes’ fate was decided by the verdict “Nine jurors had favored death and two were unsure, but one wanted a life sentence” ( Healy) and culminated in the final decision to issue Holmes his life sentence.
James Holmes’ psychological Illness
In the tiniest details Holmes offered, he spoke about his feelings at the moment of the incident. The victim is forced and jurors to contemplate his state of mind more deeply. Holmes said that at the time of the incident, the suspect “was carrying out what he called a ‘mission,” at the time that he committed the crime Holmes said that he was “calm and collected” ( Healy). In the aftermath of his arrest Holmes was compelled to meet with two different psychiatrists. one of them claimed that “he believes Mr. Holmes was legally sane, and prosecutors have said that a second psychiatrist who evaluated him reached the same conclusion” ( Healy). Holmes has also spoken about several of his feelings prior to as well as after the murder. Holmes also claimed that Holmes was insane. Based on these facts it was difficult to determine his mental health. made it difficult for the jury until finally they could come up with an option.
Holmes’ last Sentence
In the month of July, 2015 his sentence for the murder of numerous people in 2012 was read to all the people around the globe. As his sentence was being revealed, he exhibited no emotions ( Healy) while being taken away from the last days of liberty. In the witness declarations, he was unmoved. His mother is at an event for press and informs the families of victims “she knew her son felt remorse, but that his medications and mental illness made it difficult for him to convey [his feelings]” ( Turkewitz).
Holmes has been identified as having schizophrenia. A few days prior to the shooting, he went obsessed and sane. According to reports “90 percent shooters across the United States display the same indicators. These include acute paranoia and delusions and depression” ( Metzl). Others who shoot. Like Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter with schizophrenia as well is more likely to employ the same method of killing. They are able to enter an space and shoot others with firearms.
These kinds of cases happen every day, and this makes researchers want to research deeper into the matter. Researchers have come to the conclusion that
- A mental illness can cause firearm violence
- A psychiatric diagnosis is able to identify gun crimes before they takes place
- US mass shootings make us fear the dangerously ill individuals
- In light of the psychiatric history that mass shootings have, the gun regulation “won’t prevent” another Tucson, Aurora, or Newtown.
Effects of staying Holmes in the jail
The loss of a life can have grave consequence. For instance, in Holmes the case, a lot of victims have argued they believe Holmes ought to be punished with to death. Holmes has claimed innocent lives in a matter of minutes. The husband of one the victims states “we want him to go into oblivion” ( Healy). The father of the victim’s youngest son angrily says “He’s alive and breathing. We’ve lost our loved ones” ( Healy) and demonstrates how emotionally it was for everyone of the victims. In the course of trial. Yahoo reports stated the following: James Holmes had already absorbed more than $5.5 million in government funds. Imagine what it would be to put James Holmes behind bars throughout his life would be unimaginable.
Quiet or Alive?
The idea of keeping Holmes in jail appears to cost more than murdering Holmes at the moment. The citizens of Colorado have been spending three years attempting to make an answer. And putting Holmes in the state’s most infamous prison does not suffice. If jail inmates are aware of Holmes and try to harm him every chance they can. It was said in the words of “Mark Daniels, as the two inmates crossed paths inside the state’s highest security prison” ( Mitchell). There are people who will go to the greatest levels to harm Holmes in the aftermath of the crimes that he was convicted of. The imamates deliberately try to hurt Holmes at every opportunity ( Mitchell).
The only people who wish for Holmes to live is Holmes’ parents. However, the relatives of the deceased would like to kill him after he injured numerous people, including murdering a young child. Who was just six years old. older. The district attorney even has responded by saying “Any regrets? Absolutely” ( Roberts) and emphasized the significance of the voice of the district attorney in the issue of James Holmes’ freedom to remain in the country.
