In July 2012, many residents of the town of Aurora (USA, Colorado) went to the cinema to watch the movie "The Dark Knight: The Revival of the Legend." However, the premiere failed, in the worst sense of the word. Almost immediately after the opening credits, indiscriminate shooting began in the hall and smoke fell. According to the police, the local resident James Holmes is guilty of the incident. Why did a young man commit such a meaningless and cruel crime?
Timeline of Bloody Events
On July 20, 2012, fans of stories about the superhero Batman gathered in the cinema of the city of Aurora, Colorado. At midnight local time, the premiere of The Dark Knight: Revival of a Legend was to take place here - the final part of the trilogy, which many fans of the genre were waiting for on the screens. The film screening began by tradition with trailers of other films and commercials, and by the time the expected film began, the light in the hall did not light, and all the spectators were passionate about watching. It was at this time that one person left the room. It was James Holmes, he headed for his car parked in the parking lot. Soon, the young man appeared in the hall in a suit similar to a military uniform, threw a smoke bomb or tear gas and opened indiscriminate shooting at the audience with a rifle and a pistol.
The shooting of spectators in a cinema
The investigation found that James Holmes was preparing for his crime in advance. On the day of the premiere of the film, he arrived at the cinema in his car, in which he previously loaded weapons, ammunition and equipment. Leaving the car in the parking lot, the young man bought a ticket, like all other spectators, and went into the hall. He sat there for several minutes, after which he got out and went to the car. Dressed in a suit resembling the uniform of an American special forces, and wearing a gas mask, James took up arms and hastened to return to the hall. Recall that the events took place at night, and the cinema staff did not notice anything unusual until the first shots. The audience was not surprised by the appearance of an unusually dressed man in the hall; in the United States, many people come to the premieres of films in a suit, the style of which corresponds to the shown movie. The criminal threw a
smoke bomb into the hall or sprayed
tear gas, after which he opened indiscriminate firing on those inside. Many viewers were seriously injured, and some died on the spot.
Bad apartment
As it turned out, before going to the movies, the offender left a “surprise” for the police in his apartment. The door to Holmes's house was not locked. Inside the guests was waiting for a complex mining system with many sensors and traps that, when moving inside the apartment, were supposed to activate explosives. In order to speed up the appearance of the police, James Holmes before his departure (late at night) turned on the stereo system loudly and set the same song to repeat. As it turned out, the neighbor of the criminal came up to the door of the apartment, but she did not go inside, seeing that the locks were not locked, and only promised to call the police if the music did not subside.
Can weapons and explosives be bought legally?
When reconstructing the events of that July night of 2012, it becomes obvious that the offender had a whole arsenal of weapons and ammunition. Detectives found that the firing was from an AR-15 rifle, a shotgun and two
Glock 22 pistols. In all, Holmes acquired 6300 rounds of ammunition. All these characteristics and numbers sound unrealistic. But in fact, preparing for the action took only eight weeks. It was during this time that the criminal bought up cartridges in weapons stores. The criminal’s apartment was mined by a makeshift explosive device, which James assembled with his own hands from components ordered via the Internet.
Why did the supervillain start killing?
An interesting fact: before committing the crime, Holmes dyed his hair a bright orange color. And during the arrest, he introduced himself as a police Joker. This is the name of the anti-hero from the comic book and films about Batman, one of the opponents of the main positive character. But even if James Holmes is a Joker, how can you explain what he did? The criminal himself from the very beginning refused to cooperate with the investigation and did not explain the meaning of the actions committed by him. During the investigation, the biography of the main person involved in the case was studied, all his connections and contacts were checked. Absolutely all acquaintances characterize this person as calm and extremely positive. But it is possible no one knows who James Holmes is. Why so did a young and promising man in all respects, a man who was only 24 years old at the time the crime was committed, remains a mystery.
Trial
On July 30, 2012, the trial of this high-profile case began. In total, 12 people were killed during the shooting at the cinema, and 58 people were seriously injured. The perfect crime shocked the whole world with its cruelty and meaninglessness. Not surprisingly, the trial lasted for years. In the course of the proceedings, new facts were clarified, and the prosecution and the defense brought new arguments. A forensic psychiatric examination was also conducted, the results of which showed that at the time the crime was committed, the defendant was aware of all the actions taken. It turns out that there should be no doubt about the sanity of the criminal. James Holmes transferred the court to the court with an indifferent face and behaved as if the events taking place in the hall did not concern him at all. In total, 152 prosecution points were brought against him, each of which provides for capital punishment: the death penalty or life imprisonment.
The verdict: the last chapter of the story shooter from Colorado
It is worth noting that James Holmes listened to the verdict announced in the courtroom calmly and without surprise. The trial was held with the
jury, and they could not unanimously decide on the death penalty. As a result, the offender was sentenced to life imprisonment without the right to parole. The verdict was issued only on August 7, 2015 and immediately executed. The interest of the press from the middle of the trial was riveted on the James family. His close relatives did not make contact with the press, but the defendant’s lawyer in one interview stated that the parents and sister of her client condemn the act of her loved one, but in no case refuse him. James Holmes himself did not explain the motive for the crime, even after the announcement of the verdict. One can only guess what moved this calm and seemingly peaceful young man and why one day he took up arms and opened fire on strangers.