James Eagan Holmes, who was born on December 13, 1987, is an American mass murderer.
On July 20, 2012, he killed 12 people and injured 70 others (62 directly and 8 indirectly) in a Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.
Who Is James Holmes?
James Holmes was born in 1987 in Riverside, California, where he also grew up. His neighbors said he lived alone and did not speak to anyone. In 2010, he went to the University of California to study neuroscience.
Holmes was bright and working on his doctorate at the University of Colorado Medical Center. In June 2012, he resigned.
His attorney said he had mental health issues as a child and tried to kill himself when he was 11.
Police say he legally purchased the guns used in the incident from two sporting goods stores and purchased more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition online.
What Happened To James Holmes?
All 165 charges against James Holmes were found to be true, allowing him to be sentenced to death.
Holmes was sentenced to life in prison without parole on August 7, 2015. He did not receive the death penalty because the jury could not agree on one count.
In 2015, fellow inmate Mark “Slim” Daniels attacked him while he was incarcerated at the Colorado State Penitentiary, the state’s highest security prison.
Holmes was kept away from other inmates, so the attack occurred when he was moved from one cell to another.
It is believed he was secretly moved to an out-of-state prison after the attack, but no one knows where.
In 2017, it was said Holmes had been moved to Allenwood Correctional Facility, a high-security federal prison in Pennsylvania.
On July 20, 2012, a shooting occurred in Aurora, Colorado, at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises, a movie that people were eagerly anticipating.
People of all ages went to the Century 16 theater to see movies.
Police said at the time that Holmes had purchased four guns and more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition in the two months before the shooting.
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He purchased an AR-15 assault rifle, a Remington 12-gauge shotgun, a Glock 40-caliber handgun, and another pistol. All of the guns and bullets were purchased legally.
Shortly after the film began, the spree killer used a tablecloth holder to open an emergency exit. He then went to his car, put on protective gear, put on a gas mask, and retrieved his pistols.
Holmes went back into the theater and threw two gas canisters into the crowd. Many spectators thought it was a publicity stunt until he began spraying into the crowd with the shotgun, then the assault rifle, and finally the pistol.
One person who witnessed the incident said he went outside and shot at people running away.
Just minutes after the shooting, Holmes was caught in his car behind the theater. He said his name was “The Joker.”
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