Aurora movie theater shooting trial day 45: Cross-examination of schizophrenia expert continues

Day 2 in the Aurora movie theater shooting trial – People vs. James Eagan Holmes. Today, prosecutors open their case calling witnesses _____? During the course of the trial, prosecutors will argue that Holmes, the admitted gunman, was sane when he went into the midnight premiere of the Dark Knight Rises in an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater and opened fire on the audience, killing 12 and wounding 70. His defense attorneys will try to spare Holmes’ life by arguing that he was insane. 7NEWS and TheDenverChannel.com will have gavel to gavel coverage of the trial starting at 8:15 a.m. (MST) everyday and ending around 5:30 p.m. (MST) Watch new live video on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/7NewsDenver/live Additional resources:LIVE VIDEO & BLOG: http://bit.ly/theatertrialTIMELINE of the case: http://bit.ly/theatertimelineJURY PROFILE: http://bit.ly/theaterjury CONTINUING COVERAGE: http://bit.ly/theatercoverage

3rd & 7 37yd

@okx What are your creds? Have a PhD? curious I am! :)

by Grace 7/8/2015 10:31:02 PM
The gunman described himself as "rationally insane."

by anica.padilla 7/8/2015 10:38:51 PM
@Krisite tks missed it phone call

by LG 7/8/2015 10:39:02 PM
My goodness....

by Tjq 7/8/2015 10:39:04 PM
If I were JH i'd be freaking out that MY team hired someone like Gur....I'd rather be paying for 700 traffic tickets!

by Ibby 7/8/2015 10:39:06 PM
Closing arguments are going to be dramatic!

by Tjq 7/8/2015 10:39:09 PM
I forgot. Is Ted Kazensky in a mental institution?

by Kristle 7/8/2015 10:39:38 PM
@Anica, Do you have a comment thumbs down option? I think that would help Greatly. JMO

by NT8 7/8/2015 10:39:48 PM
Sorry, no thumbs down option... you can "heart" it or ignore it.

by anica.padilla 7/8/2015 10:40:22 PM
the dt would be foolish to hire an expert witness that was against the death penalty

by caz 7/8/2015 10:40:30 PM
@caz - It's an unfair assumption that most people want JH to get the death penalty. There are a lot of people who don't care if it is the death penalty or life in prison - only that he never walks free again.

by SMH 7/8/2015 10:40:33 PM
Rephrase.. I meant loll I don't see how anyone can be for what JH has done

by Tjq 7/8/2015 10:40:37 PM
@Allison she has contradicted herself numerous times

by Joey 7/8/2015 10:40:42 PM
A person can be delusional and still know right from wrong. It seems as though we are forgetting that.

by Hill 7/8/2015 10:40:46 PM
Gur's evasiveness does not mean she is a bad witness; it only would appear that way if you disagree with her opinion. Her job is not to agree with everything GB throws at her.

by LawDog 7/8/2015 10:40:50 PM
@Tjq. I would vote "not guilty by reason of insanity", based on the evidence I have heard so far. I realize people won't like me for saying that, but oh well.

by Alison 7/8/2015 10:40:57 PM
@ caz......but she'll take that stand .......just 1 more time!

by Ibby 7/8/2015 10:41:14 PM
AC is rounding third!

by MyraJ 7/8/2015 10:41:16 PM
This finally what I wanted to hear. He's doing a nice job right now.

by Rob 7/8/2015 10:41:18 PM
Is king going to redirect?

by Tjq 7/8/2015 10:41:21 PM
Just got back from picking up hubby at the bus. What writings are they talking about? I don't recall any video game ideas in The Notebook.

by DocJ 7/8/2015 10:41:30 PM
This testimony wasn't based on a forensic exam. It's a clinical evaluation. The two are VERY different. Hence, one of the reasons she is getting ripped apart.

by Hill 7/8/2015 10:41:36 PM
okx I also would like to know your creds....

by Jeannie 7/8/2015 10:41:50 PM
@ Lawdog wherever you are I love the stats every quarter! ;)

by Grace 7/8/2015 10:41:51 PM
Did King really think that this wouldn't be brutal?

by Nadine 7/8/2015 10:42:08 PM
Kazinsky is in Supermax prison here in Colorado. He made a plea for life in prison, then tried to retract it, and refused to let his lawyers call him insane, which everyone else agreed he was. He tried to represent himself as well but wasn't allowed to.

by Lynn 7/8/2015 10:42:22 PM
Ole' Ted is in Florence, Co serving 8 life sentences.

by TammyC 7/8/2015 10:42:31 PM
@ Kristle...funny you ask....he's at ADX in Florence, Co.!

by Ibby 7/8/2015 10:42:42 PM
So who thinks that by 5pm JH will be spinning that chair around 360 degrees?

by MyraJ 7/8/2015 10:42:54 PM
Being paid a lot of money will not lead most expert witnesses to lie under oath. Nor do I think that Dr. Gur is lying. I am not sure I agree with her diagnosis, and I do think she should have done a far better job of documenting her work, but I don't think she is lying. Some or much of what she is testifying to is her interpretation of what JH has told her, based on her understanding that he is schizophrenic and was psychotic at the time of the crime. Did she enter into the evaluation believing that he was or most likely was insane? Possibly. And it seems to me that this is what the DT is trying to get to.

by 5W 7/8/2015 10:42:58 PM
My interest in this trial is that I was a victim of an attempted murder 45 years ago by a psychotic, mentally ill stranger. I know something about healing and my comments are directed to helping the victims, rather than yes, my several degrees.

by okx 7/8/2015 10:43:09 PM
Not hard to tell that it's been a long day based on the tone of some of the comments.

by Resa 7/8/2015 10:43:41 PM
So does this mean we are not on target for closing arguments to begin on the 13th?

by Jennifer 7/8/2015 10:43:43 PM
I have a very hard time with this witness continuously saying "I don't remember", "it may be in the report, I don't know". If you were this important of an "expert witness" wouldn't you actually get yourself up to speed with your knowledge of not only the crime, the court proceedings, but also your own report you wrote! Your own notes, and get yourself in some way prepared for this court appearance!? This is a shamble, seriously a shamble. The other doctors that have testified were at least more engaged in their reports, and what went on when they interviewed Holmes.

by tim 7/8/2015 10:43:44 PM
IMO the DT did poorly in prepping Gur... lost the case for them

by Grace 7/8/2015 10:43:48 PM
If Dr Reid gave a seminar open to the public about mental illness and the criminal justice system, I'd be there in a hearbeat!

by Just Thinkin 7/8/2015 10:44:03 PM
I'm sure it would be in his best interest to finish his direct today!

by Ann 7/8/2015 10:44:07 PM
JH may or not be convicted and may or may not get the DP but this cross examination, IMHO, has become devastating to the defense...using her own book and the definitions therein against her opinions...WOW!

by PA Watcher 7/8/2015 10:44:20 PM
Myra J I might have been on your graduate committee. You have a philosophy degree. Other kinds of doctors can also have PhDs. Sorry for your confusion about your degree. You might want to make some updates on that institutional naming. Your are a doctor of a particular philosophy, believe it or not.

by okx 7/8/2015 10:44:23 PM
And what Hill said.

by 5W 7/8/2015 10:44:25 PM
@Allison - not attacking truly curious - how do you reconcile all the planning - even so far as circling a date on a calendar - with insanity? Was he insane for months?

by NH 7/8/2015 10:44:28 PM
Polite and brutal like it should be.

by Tjq 7/8/2015 10:44:30 PM
DT should have hired FORENSIC experts. Neither of their experts were forensically trained. IMO that could cost JH his life.

by Hill 7/8/2015 10:44:33 PM
@5W -- I agree with you. That's why I want the cross to focus on events of planning, thought process, perceptions of reality and degree of functioning.

by Rob 7/8/2015 10:44:42 PM
@Grace...fine, enjoy the stats ;)

by LawDog 7/8/2015 10:44:46 PM