Theater shooting trial day 58: Arlene Holmes expected to testify

After the father of the convicted Aurora movie theater shooter concludes the testimony he began Tuesday, the gunman's mother is expected to be the next witness to take the stand.

3rd & 7 37yd

@ Dkf, I thought he mailed the notebook just immediately before the crime? How long did it sit in the mail room? Sorry, my mind is not working well tod

by Suzi Lewis 7/29/2015 7:37:43 PM
this testimony is a kick in the teeth of the real victims... embarrassing defense team!!!

by sydney 7/29/2015 7:37:44 PM
totally agree with Mrs. Arnaz and sophiamtn@gmail. Not the parents fault at all, and JH lied to so many people and all are victims of JH.

by TMT 7/29/2015 7:38:19 PM
I'm having a hard time with some of her answers she doesn't seam to know things that most mom's know right away....imo

by LG 7/29/2015 7:38:24 PM
If I remember correctly, Goosebumps books are in order, so he probably got them as they came out, hence in order of acquisition...not sure that is profound.

by Marsha Laurienti 7/29/2015 7:38:26 PM
tell us all about his binky....

by sydney 7/29/2015 7:38:29 PM
Wow is the feed overloaded it's cutting out bad for me?

by LG 7/29/2015 7:38:32 PM
@dkf--My understanding is, Holmes mailed the notebook only the day before the shooting. Anybody know what the post-mark says about that?

by flip 7/29/2015 7:38:33 PM
I met the Goosebumps author R. L. Stine in April of this year at the Pikes Peak Writer's Conference. He was certainly an interesting in the classes he spoke at PPWC.

by Cindy L 7/29/2015 7:38:34 PM
@NT8 it had already been established that fenton contacted the mom

by emma 7/29/2015 7:38:35 PM
1997 has no bearing on july 20 2012

by NT8 7/29/2015 7:38:37 PM
She sounds slightly off. Her speech is little slurred and her responses are very slow. I wonder if she is on an anti-depressant or other helper. I wouldn't blame her if she was, though. I would seriously need to be sedated if my kid was up for the DP.

by DocJ 7/29/2015 7:38:38 PM
This is all heart-wrenching but I don't see how this contributes to mitigation. My heart breaks for this woman. How do you reconcile your loved child with what he became and what he did?

by Suzi Lewis 7/29/2015 7:38:39 PM
Seems to me the DT should quit while ahead- watering down the impact of testimony with baby pic and talking about parent volunteering dilutes what might otherwise seems significant.

by Mr. D. 7/29/2015 7:38:40 PM
It is easy for people to judge,but it could anyone of us sitting up there on the stand. I don't care how good of parent is in this chat room we do not know everything our children think about.

by Dkf 7/29/2015 7:38:41 PM
How long is this testimony going to last?

by Nadine 7/29/2015 7:38:42 PM
In response to the comment that calling a grown man Jimmy is some kind of defense ploy, we all call my brother Bobby, and he's 63 years old.

by JodieNJ 7/29/2015 7:38:47 PM
I would like to see JH face while his mother is on the stand. I think he has no love or respect for his parents. It's possible he was acting out against them.

by Marti 7/29/2015 7:38:48 PM
OMG! She's describing every single family in the world! My kids walked early, my oldest son was very organized, I have a box of their papers from their grade school projects, all 3 of my sons had a "blankey" - what does this have to do with him being a heinous murderer?

by Mandy L 7/29/2015 7:38:50 PM
I feel for this mom. I really do. But I made scrapbooks of my kids school stuff and they didn't kill people.

by Tammy Garrison 7/29/2015 7:38:51 PM
I really find this Defense attorney annoying. She's very full of herself. Confident is not the word I would use - more like arrogant.

Brauchler looks bored with this.

by Nadine 7/29/2015 7:38:53 PM
When mentioning pregnancy,now disabled victim Ashley Moser (*excitement that night re: her ultrasound, etc., Veronica, & her tragic miscarrige) INSTANTLY came to my mind...I don't think this necessarily "sealed the deal" for LWOP quite yet...

by BluesB 7/29/2015 7:38:55 PM
Phil, you should really post what people are saying. I'm sure its just as interesting as my statements.

by sydney 7/29/2015 7:39:05 PM
My gosh! I thought RH's testimony was flat. ????. I do feel for his parents however being a Nurse you would think she would have picked up on something

by Carolyn 7/29/2015 7:39:07 PM
Brauchler is chompin' at the bit here.

by Kels 7/29/2015 7:39:09 PM
She there are some nurses in here. Honest question - don't you have to take continuing ed classes? Don't you think she would have chose some in child development and language

by Just Thinkin 7/29/2015 7:39:10 PM
@Sydney....I agree! Yes, I feel bad for her but this is overboard!

by TammyC 7/29/2015 7:39:11 PM
'Sounds odd, I realize- but JH studied neuropsychology & neural function, which is directly related to the brain & how it operates/affects other body parts- especially neurology/involving brain & optic nerve, that kind of thing. Is it possible that JH could've been preparing for this type of defense, as his hatred was mounting, his plan was forming (notebook, research mental illness, etc.) & that he
learned how to do the bulging eye-thing...!? I know that sounds bizarre at first, but things like biofeedback are very real & very possible. You can do things like affect/alter body temperature through biofeedback. I learned this as a child, trying to deal with migraine headaches. I think it's possible, with his IQ, area of study, access to rare & specific medical experiments, etc. that he may have actually learned a way to manipulate the appearance of his eyes. Or, as I've stated before, even gotten access to dilation drops-which last 8 to 12 hours (*which is why you cannot drive after being dilated at the optometrist). 'Definitely a bizarre theory, but worth I thought, 'considering all the things we saw him plan out, research, etc. & concerning the access he had to labs neuropsych/brain function effects on the body, etc. I don't think it's that far out...'just my humble opinion.

by BluesB 7/29/2015 7:39:14 PM
There's obviously SO much ignorance on this thread when it comes to mental illness

by therapist 7/29/2015 7:39:15 PM
@sydney: I'll appreciate your patience as I'm trying to take notes here and simultaneously write scripts/stories. I'll get to the comments in waves

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:39:40 PM
In next evidence photo, it shows her children watching Tv

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:41:19 PM
Arlene Holmes says she is not a fan of video games. "I think it is better if the kids are just out, getting exercise in nature."

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:45:14 PM
Arlene Holmes says she tried to limit his hours playing video games

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:45:34 PM
As a child, Arlene Holmes says her son expressed nothing alarming

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:46:02 PM
- Quote
"I wanted the kids to be kind to each other and to everyone"

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:46:32 PM
They returned for another session about 3 weeks later. This was in 1996

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:47:32 PM
"I know he did ask for the kids to draw pictures of their home"

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:47:40 PM
Arlene Holmes says she thinks her son was less anxious/confused during the second visit

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:48:08 PM
third visit was another 3 weeks later

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:48:14 PM
Her husband was there for one visit. The counselor told them about some parenting strategies

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:48:32 PM
- Quote
"People say to me when your kids are 18 you're done. But that's not true. you're never done. You're never done and that is why were sitting here"

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:49:27 PM
"I thought we'd be just better off being at home gardening" she said about stopping the counseling. They had 3 sessions, but they were far away, expensive

by Phil Tenser 7/29/2015 7:50:10 PM
@LG not exactly a "normal" motherly conversation shes having at the moment

by JG 7/29/2015 7:50:16 PM
blame game - where is this Magical Psychiatrist who is supposed to care more than a parent ?

She had plenty of cases, but they only had ONE child

by Tiki Torch 7/29/2015 7:50:19 PM
Re: "blame game". Blame= JH. 'PERIOD.

by BluesB 7/29/2015 7:50:20 PM