Theater shooting trial day 56: 'Phase 2' of the penalty process continues

'Phase 2' of the penalty process continues in the trial of James Holmes for the Aurora movie theater shooting. He was convicted earlier this month on 165 counts and now his defense is presenting mitigating evidence in an attempt to convince the jury his life should be spared.

3rd & 7 37yd

Where did the switch to all his decisions being delusional come in? I missed it somewhere.

by Suzi Lewis 7/27/2015 6:15:21 PM
@Kels....I think it is because it is two separate issues....insane vs. mentally ill

by A.L. 7/27/2015 6:15:24 PM
Flip I am not any name other than okx. oxk was a typo signing in a few days ago. The rest I have no idea who they are, As I told fascinated, I am not lying or trying to confuse, as stated.

. Plus, all human rights organizations oppose DP, as extremely cruel punishment, for many reasons. Beyond that is damages social mental health of those still living, by turning them into killers, not mass murders, but killers. They too become mentally ill, because another killing will not stop their pain, in the least.

by okx 7/27/2015 6:15:35 PM
Oh how I WISH it could be highlighted that the fact was that JH was willing to plead STRAIGHT guilty, to accept LWOP....but... victim families wanted death penalty, and THAT is where/when concept of insanity came in. Insanity was NEVER, EVER even on the table before LWOP was rejected by prosecution as a plea bargain. I know they can't bring this in, but man---I wish the jury could see this in black and white on a PowerPoint!!!

by Lars&theRealGirl 7/27/2015 6:15:52 PM
Brauchler is the best!

by flip 7/27/2015 6:15:54 PM
Is the PT going to call Dr Reid during phase 2?

by Victoria 7/27/2015 6:15:56 PM
DT started looking at his mental problems when they brought in Dr. Woodcock within the first month.

by trl2 7/27/2015 6:18:40 PM
WHat has that got to do with the question?

by Tammy Garrison 7/27/2015 6:22:46 PM
@okx--Fair enough, I think you are entitled to your views, but I might disagree with your conclusion that all "human rights organizations" oppose the death penalty. The Constitution is essentially a "human rights" document for citizens of the United States. Governments, at any level of jurisdiction, are essentially organizations meant to interpret and protect "human rights" within their jurisdictions.

by flip 7/27/2015 6:24:30 PM
GB, bring up Abrandt's question!!!!

by Tammy Garrison 7/27/2015 6:24:33 PM
@TammyGarrison He wasnt saying that a non-delusional person wouldnt have bought those things, hes saying that if he hadn't been delusional he, personally, would not have done it....

by cp 7/27/2015 6:24:36 PM
How detailed can the plans of a mentally ill person be to be driven by the mental illness?

by Tammy Garrison 7/27/2015 6:24:41 PM
Sunrise. Are you all not convinced that he was a lone gunman?

by wonderbread 7/27/2015 6:24:50 PM
I hear ya, Tammy C...I think the mitigation phase is giving him almost enough self esteem where his "hatred"-induced plans just might have been altered a bit, had he gotten this attention, value, support, recognition, re-examination of his childhood, sympathy, emphasis on his strengths & IQ & yet heroic 'survival' of his earlier trials & tribulations...alllll of this affirmation and "representation" & attention is just EXACTLY what he wanted. He was willing to kill 12 and injure 70 (!!!?!) to get that ego reinforcement. 'Unspeakable.

by Lars&theRealGirl 7/27/2015 6:25:03 PM
This is making me delusional!

by Suzi Lewis 7/27/2015 6:25:05 PM
Judge Samour confirms that he did not prohibit jurors from learning about similar cases in the media until the end of the trial. Alternate jurors (including #673) were given separate admonishments that did not include avoiding media coverage of similar cases.

by anica.padilla 7/27/2015 6:31:55 PM
...the Dr is clearly stating that he thinks there is a delusional presence and that is why he made these plans, so physically planning a date on the calendar has nothing to do with anything one way or the other ?

by cp 7/27/2015 6:32:03 PM
What a bunch of murder committing psychobabble!

by Cindy L 7/27/2015 6:32:10 PM
Did Dr. Metzner just become a defense witness??

by Mara Randall 7/27/2015 6:32:11 PM
can they bring up "that guy's" internet searches about delusions with Metzner?

by Jax 7/27/2015 6:32:17 PM
The defense wants to play short family videos of the gunman in court tomorrow.

by anica.padilla 7/27/2015 6:33:20 PM
How can you plan a psychotic break and circle it on your calendar?

by Abrandt edited by anica.padilla 7/27/2015 6:53:30 PM
yes..question for Dan....why haven't we seen the theater surveillance tape of what occurred at the exit door.

by Sunrise7 edited by anica.padilla 7/27/2015 6:53:33 PM
Question for Dan Recht: "Are bench conferences ever made public?

by Cindy L edited by anica.padilla 7/27/2015 6:53:36 PM
Questions for our legal expert Dan Recht?

by anica.padilla 7/27/2015 6:53:38 PM
*gagging*

by Tammy Garrison 7/27/2015 6:53:41 PM
OH great home movies tomorrow, I will make sure I have pop corn.

by Humble Pride 7/27/2015 6:53:44 PM
17 videos under 2 minutes, no pop corn.

by Humble Pride 7/27/2015 6:53:46 PM
not sure the initial mental health professionals are not "somewhat" liable here.....I hate saying that....hind sight is always 20/20.... I also know how hard it is to get someone committed....even for a short time...but she was concerned enough to violate HIPPA and contacted his mother....

by A.L. 7/27/2015 6:53:49 PM
You go, Anica!

by Suzi Lewis 7/27/2015 6:53:51 PM
I always come back to this - he was mentally ill and wanted to kill people. Many, if not most, mentally ill people want to kill people but they do not do it. JH made the decision to kill people because he wanted the value. I do not see how that is any different from a bank robber. It is insulting to mentally ill people to equate mental illness with murder.

by Sophiamtn@gmail.com 7/27/2015 6:53:58 PM
It is true that we get to hear allot of things that the jury does not. I kind of forgot that fact.

by Humble Pride 7/27/2015 6:54:09 PM
- New Witness
Defense calls William Lacroix, who shared a dorm area at UC Riverside with gunman during their freshman year.

by anica.padilla 7/27/2015 8:08:59 PM
Sophia - I don't believe that "Many, if not most, mentally ill people want to kill people" and am not sure where you got that from. To me, that is an insult to the mentally ill.

by JodieNJ 7/27/2015 8:09:15 PM
I once had a mentally ill man spit in my face and call me a whore as I walking to work one day. He had the choice to not do that, but I do believe if he were not mentally ill, he would not have.

by JodieNJ 7/27/2015 8:09:26 PM
I respectfully disagree that "many, if not most, mentally ill people want to kill people." These misconceptions of mental illness are a reason that mental illness is not often discussed openly in our society and why people hide it.

by ms 7/27/2015 8:09:40 PM
If the Defense can play JH home movies. Can the victims home movies also be played?

by Anita Bowen 7/27/2015 8:09:43 PM
Hubby and I were talking about this issue this week. Once the act is committed, the legal system is the appropriate entity to address the offense. What needs to happen is the loop holes for waiting periods on obtaining weapons needs to close, and somehow mental health records have to become a part of a centralized database that is a part of the weapons check before allowing purchases.

by Tammy Garrison 7/27/2015 8:09:53 PM
Bench conferences are part of the court record and subsequently available with the court transcripts (often for a fee). Some or all may be sealed for a period of time, subject to state law.

by Sophiamtn@gmail.com 7/27/2015 8:09:59 PM
The "trial" was not a waste of taxpayers money. The sentencing dispute is.

He was not found to be insane when he committed the crimes, which IMO, was the correct finding.

This whole trial is about 82 people that lost their lives or were injured during the shooting, and countless others that were in the movie theater that night, and their families and friends that will be FOREVER personally affected by the acts of this coward.

I'm sick of people commenting about Brauchler having some political agenda about going for the death penalty! Killer Holmes deserves it! He had no problem administering it to 12 others and trying for hundreds more!

by Givemeabreak 7/27/2015 8:10:22 PM
lunch running real late today, huh?

by Della (Me) 7/27/2015 8:10:25 PM
sophia....mental illness is a huge arena or many forms of brain abnormalities and/or disfunctions; most do not result in violence, but some do. There is no deterrent to those whose brain get tripped over the edge of control. The grouping is large because there are so many people with mental illness. Seems to me the most compassionate way to look at this is to see unity in motherhood. JH could be anyone's child. Maybe medical help with come in time through cell and gene isolation and other breakthroughs. A bank robber?

by okx 7/27/2015 8:10:27 PM
- Quote
Lacroix: "I would say he was shy socially... once he got comfortable with us then it was seamless."

by anica.padilla 7/27/2015 8:13:19 PM
Halftime stats: 33 Objections 5 overrules (DT) 28 Sustained (for the PT)

by NT8 7/27/2015 8:13:29 PM
finally someone who doesn't call him Jimmy

by JG 7/27/2015 8:13:31 PM