Holmes Charged with 142 Criminal Acts

By IVN Staff Intern Jonathan Ng
Upland, CA– Colorado Movie shooting suspect James Holmes was charged with 142 criminal accounts last Monday after appearing in the Arapahoe County Courthouse for the second time, due to the accusation of open firing on a crowd in a local movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, resulting in 12 people dead and 58 wounded others.

As Holmes arrived into the court room, eyes from the jury glared him down as he calmly sat in his chair, looming his eyes towards the floor.

According to abcnews.com, Don Lader, a current jury member and a person who was in the movie theatre when it was under fire, but escaped the assault unharmed, described Holmes appearance during the trial, “like an animal in a corner, but not one that was trying to fight back. Like a sickly animal.”

It seemed that Holmes exuberated a different personality Monday than his first time in court July 23, seeming much more calm, cool, and collected, as opposed to his frantic, dazed self in his last appearance.

A the case went on, Holmes did not say anything except a clear “Yes” when Judge William Sylvester asked if he understood that his attorneys had waived the right to a time restriction for his preliminary hearing.

Judge Sylvester charged alleged suspect Holmes with 24 accounts of murder – 2 counts of 1st degree murder for every person that was killed: one for deliberation after murder, and the other for murder with extreme indifference.

On top of the murder charges, Holmes was charged for 112 counts of criminal intent to commit murder, 1 count for illegal possession of an explosive device, and 1 count of criminal violence.
At minimum sentencing, Holmes will receive prison for life, at the maximum, Holmes will receive the death penalty, but the options are still up for debate.

According to cnn.com, Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers said last Monday that “it will take time for prosecutors to decide whether or not they will pursue the death penalty, since they’d first want to get input from victims and their relatives.”

Mary Ellen Hansen, aunt to 6 year-old victim Veronica Moser-Sullivan who was murdered in the attack, was asked if she favored the death penalty over life imprisonment.

Hansen responded, “I’m a Christian and I do believe that he should probably be locked away and live with what he did every day of his life,” according to cnn.com.

Holmes’s motivation for allegedly committing this violent act is still under investigation, however, a court document revealing Holmes connection with University of Colorado Psychiatrist Dr. Lynn Fenton last Friday may have opened up a possible lead.

According to nbcnews.com, Holmes was been a patient of Dr. Fenton’s for at a few months.
During the time they spent together in sessions, Holmes may have revealed a great amount of information previous to the assault through his journal that he shared with her, maybe hinting certain clues to his actions.

The possibility that maybe Dr. Fenton had Holmes on drugs at the time, or may have known something, but did not contact the police remains a mystery.

In court, Judge Sylvester ordered a hearing about any evidence pertaining to Holmes contacts with Dr. Fenton and whether or not they will remain protected, the hearing is yet to be answered.
On NBCNightlyNews, a interviewee said, “What Holmes told the psychiatrist is the key to the outcome of this case.”

With the hearing schedule and arrangement of issues, the decision on whether Holmes is guilty or not will not take place until mid- November.

With all the high emotions still around, relatives of the victims in Colorado mourn for their loved ones, but celebrate their lives as well, continuing to share their stories with the rest of the world.