[64][failed verification] On July 25, three of the five hospitals treating victims announced they would limit medical bills or forgive them entirely. The trial began on April 27, 2015. It consists of a park-like dell with 83 abstract birds, one for each victim. Arapahoe County district attorney George Brauchler said: "It's my determination and my intention that in this case for James Eagan Holmes justice is death. In 2001, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation was able to establish a DNA profile from semen collected from the carpet and comforter in the Bennett sisters bedroom. DENVER - An Arapahoe County jury on Friday found 60-year-old Alex Ewing guilty of killing three members of an Aurora family with a hammer in January 1984 in a case that went cold until DNA evidence linked him to the murders in 2018. Animation reportedly edited the Cartoon Network series Beware the Batman to make the firearms look less realistic. She alleged that a school psychiatrist could have prevented the slaughter by having Holmes detained after he admitted he "fantasized about killing a lot of people". In May 2016, after years of legal debate, a jury took three hours to deliver a unanimous verdict that the theater chain was not liable to any degree for the tragedy that transpired. Statistic Count Raw Aurora / 100k People Colorado / 100k People National / 100k People; Total Crimes Per 100K: 16,552: Violent Crime: 3,473: 900.4: 423.1: 387.8: Murder Two Aurora, Colorado police officers charged after brutally beating 29-year-old Kyle Vinson. At least well know who it was, and it will be over, she said. Aurora James, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gemma Chan, and Prabal Gurung (L-R) attend The 2021 Met Gala in New York Credit: Kevin Mazure/Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the firebrand left-wing . We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. . They were living in Aurora and planned to make a life together there. As these murders occurred in 1986, Ewing is sentenced under those laws. AURORA, Colo. July 26, 2012 -- The movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., was not the city's first massacre. Most egregious was the 2019 police murder of 23-year-old Elijah McClain, a black man who died after . Now investigators are working to determine whether a Nevada convict named Alex Christopher Ewing is that man. Events Shooting The shooting occurred in Theater 9 at the Century 16 multiplex (operated by Cinemark Theatres), located in the Town Center at Aurora shopping mall at 14300 E. Alameda Avenue. [81][clarification needed], Also on January 7, lawyers for both sides argued whether to admit four unspecified prescription bottles and immunization records investigators had seized from Holmes' apartment when they searched it in July 2012, considering doctor-patient confidentiality laws. [9], Holmes went to his car (which he had parked near the exit door), changed into protective clothing, and retrieved his guns. Denver's independent source of When officers responded to the call and went by the home in the 1500 block of South Evanston Street, they saw the garage door partially open and lights on in the home, according to the affidavit. The victim, identified as Helene Michelle Brooks, 57, died as a result of blunt force injuries and her cause of death is also considered a homicide, according to the coroner's office. "[158], Three victims sued Cinemark Theatres in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on September 21, 2012, for the company's alleged negligence in failing to provide adequate safety and security measures. It isnt. [102][103] On July 23, the jury ruled that Holmes acted in a cruel manner, was lying in wait, and ambushed his victims during the shooting, which constitute as aggravating factors. Colorado, a state where open carry is legal, has suffered through some of the most deadly mass shootings in American history, including the 1999 Columbine shooting and the Aurora theater attack in . level of violent crime this year in Denver, officer-involved shootings map created by Denver7, "One Person Killed After Drive-by Shooting in Hoffman Heights", "Shots Fired During Barricaded Armed Party Call", "Man Kills Woman in Early Morning Attack", "Suspicious Death Investigation on East Colfax and North Emporia Street", "Man Fatally Shot at Bristol Point Shopping Center", "Man Surrenders to Aurora Police After Murdering Woman", "Shooting in Side Creek Neighborhood Leaves Woman Critical and Man Dead", "Two Arrested After Shooting Man in Laredo Highline Neighborhood", "Officer-Involved Shooting on South Xanadu Way", "Officer-Involved Shooting With Hoax Bomb in Summer Valley Neighborhood", "Officer-Involved Shooting at East Hampden Avenue and South Chambers Road", "Officer-Involved Shooting at Wolf's Motor Inn", "Critical Incident Investigation After Man Injured", "Juneteenth Celebration in Parking Lot Leaves One Dead, Four Injured", "Double Shooting/Homicide in the Meadow Hills Neighborhood", "Man Killed in Shooting on Chambers Road", "Homicide Investigation Regarding Welfare Check Call", "Man Shot and Killed in Condo Parking Lot", "Suspicious Death Now Homicide on East Walsh Way", "One Man Dead in Del Mar Parkway Neighborhood Shooting". Ewings trial in the Bennett killings will begin Friday in Douglas County with jury selection; opening statements are expected Tuesday. In 2021, Alex Ewing, aka the Hammer Killer, was found guilty of all charges involving the horrific 1984 killings of a couple from Aurora and their 7-year-old daughter. [63], The injured were treated at Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver Health Medical Center, The Medical Center of Aurora, Parker Adventist Hospital, Rose Medical Center, Swedish Hospital, and University Hospital. [135], Christopher Nolan, the film's director, spoke on behalf of his cast and crew and called the event "savage" and "devastating". Two charges were filed for each victim to expand the opportunities for prosecutors to obtain convictions. Holmes was dressed in black and wore a gas mask, a load-bearing vest, a ballistic helmet, bullet-resistant leggings, a bullet-resistant throat protector, a groin protector, and tactical gloves. Martinezs grandmother said he called her around 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 10 to tell her he had a bad dream that his mom and siblings were all dead. Both parents were bludgeoned with a hammer, and the attacker also used a knife. [20] Ambulances were hindered by chaos and congestion in the parking lot, and they were unable to reach the back of the complex where police had pulled the injured out through the emergency exit doors of Theatre 9. Prosecutors dropped their request for access to the notebook on September 20, 2012. Although Alex Ewing was not initially considered a suspect in the case, a DNA test in July 2018 connected him to semen discovered at the murder site. But after Connie left that night, someone armed with a hammer entered the familys Aurora home and killed Melissa, her mother Debra Bennett, 26, and her father Bruce Bennett, 27. James Holmes, one of the Colorado Serial Killers. "[84], Jury selection started on January 20, 2015. [44], Neighbors reported loud music from the apartment around midnight on the night of the massacre, and one went to his door to tell him she was calling the police; she said the door seemed to be unlocked, but she chose not to open it. I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. That separate case is set for trial in October. Connie discovered her sons body the next morning, on Jan. 16, 1984. The attorney general's office also is conducting a civil rights investigation into the agency, the first under a new police accountability law in Colorado. [171], A grassroots community center, Aurora Strong Resilience Center, was established by community leaders, elected officials, and mental health professionals, as a response to the shooting. Reid and another doctor evaluated Holmes in December 2013 and determined that he understood what he was doing. history. The accused was then charged with first-degree murder of the Bennetts - Bruce, Debra, and Melissa - and Patricia Smith in 2021 and 2022, respectively. [8] There were about 400 people inside theater 9. [157] Security Director News raised the possibility in a July 23 article that "the massacre could be a Virginia Tech for movie theaters, causing security to become a bigger part of the conversation and more stringent security procedures to be adopted at theaters across the country. She joined the paper in 2019 and previously worked as a crime reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pennsylvania and the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee. [181] The reopening ceremony, which was boycotted by opponents of the theater's reopening, included a memorial service and a screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Ewing carried out four violent attacks in Denver over the course of a 12-day period in January 1984, three of which occurred in Aurora - assaults on survivors Donna Holm, Jim and Kim Haubenschild, and the Bennetts. A 21-year-old man with connections to his alleged victims was arrested and jailed on murder charges following the discovery of three . [29] Two federal officials said that Holmes had dyed his hair red and called himself "The Joker", although authorities later declined to confirm this. Jump to Chapter Chapter 1: Aberrations Chapter 2: Synopsis Chapter 3: About The Author Chapter 4: 1. . . Now that the victims have received their fair share of justice, ID's People Magazine Investigates plans to retrace the steps back to 1984, when the Hammer Killer went on a 12-day-long murder spree. OJ Simpson / The Glove Didn't Fit Chapter 17: 14 . On July 16, 2015, James Holmes was found guilty on all 165 counts against . In Aurora, Colorado, Paula Sue Steinbach disappeared from her neighborhood around 8:00 p.m. on . Five men Jonathan Blunk, John Larimer, Matt McQuinn, Jesse Childress, and Alexander C. Teves died protecting their girlfriends or friends. DNA evidence ties Ewing to the crime. AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) A 21-year-old suspect is accused of killing his mother and siblings after they were found dead in their Aurora home Saturday night, according to an affidavit FOX31 received. [133] Other major film studios joined Warner Bros. in withholding early box office numbers on July 21. [184], Bottom left: Map of Colorado with Aurora marked, James Holmes (mass murderer) Detention and pretrial court appearances, James Holmes (mass murderer) Verdict and sentencing, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, List of rampage killers in the United States, "Aurora, Colo theater shooting timeline, facts", "James Holmes appears in court being accused of killing 12 people in Aurora cinema shooting", "Officials release complete list of injured victims in Aurora massacre", "Colo. shooting DA says two evaluations found Holmes sane", "Theater shooter Holmes gets 12 life sentences, plus 3,318 years", "12 shot dead, 58 wounded in Aurora movie theater during Batman premier", "Family identifies 27-year-old victim of Aurora theater shooting", "James Holmes: Read timeline of his actions before and after Aurora theater shooting", "Long awaited trial begins for Aurora movie theater shooting defendant", "Gunman turns 'Batman' screening into real-life 'horror film', "Aurora shooting suspect left apartment "booby trapped," music blaring", "Aurora theater shooting trial adjourns for day", "Questions, but few answers, in Colorado shooting; 12 dead, dozens hurt", "Colorado theater shooting: 12 shot dead during The Dark Knight Rises screening", "Colo. theater trial adjourns for day after emotional 911 call", "Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates on Movie Shooting", "Rifle failure that stopped yet more batman carnage", "Colorado shooting spree could have been worse; shooter's gun jammed, official says", "Police: Suspect wore body armor, used assault rifle, shotgun, Glock handgun in theater attack", "Batman premiere gunman looked like 'assassin ready for war', "Aurora witnesses describe shooter's entrance, chaos", Aurora police testify in James Holmes' trial: 240 ballistic impacts found after theater shooting, "Police say Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes had 2 pistols, assault rifle, shotgun", "Sources: Shooter Took Prescription Drug Before Attack", "Aurora police sergeant describes lifesaving theater-shooting decision", "Colorado police officer says movie theater gunman was 'very calm', "New details emerge in hearing for Colorado theater shooting suspect", "Shooting suspect in court with orange-red hair", "Aurora 'Dark Knight' Suspect James Holmes Says He 'Was the Joker': Cops", "James Holmes claimed to be the Joker, NYPD Commish says", "James Holmes makes court appearance in Colorado theater shooting", "The Joker Didn't Inspire the Aurora Shooter, but the Rumor Won't Go Away", "Gun's magazine shaped the pace of Colorado theater massacre", "On video, theater gunman says killings got him 'value units', "Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes jailed in solitary: 'All the inmates were talking about killing him', "Aurora shooting: 12 dead as gunman opens fire at movie theater: as it happened", "Colo. shooting suspect James Holmes' apartment booby trapped, police say", "Slideshow: Aurora theater shooting scene, suspect's booby-trapped apartment", "Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: Suspect Bought 4 Guns, 6,000 Rounds of Ammunition in Past 60 Days", "Police at Home of Colorado Suspect Disarm Major Threats", "Official: Trap in Colorado suspect's home had 30 homemade grenades, gasoline", "Detonation and fire possible at Colo. apartment", "Massacre suspect's neighbor: 'I'm counting my lucky stars', "Loud Music Used To Lure People to Booby-Trapped Apt", "Theater massacre suspect appears in Colorado courtroom", "Movie massacre suspect mum; Batman mask found", "Photos: Residents allowed back into building where alleged shooter lived", "Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: 70 Victims the Largest Mass Shooting", "Colorado Massacre Could Have Been Worse", "Obama offers condolences, community grieves in vigil for DKR shooting victims", "50 dead, Islamic terrorism tie eyed in Orlando gay bar shooting", "Should the Colorado Theater Shooting Spur More Gun Control? Because of his tactical clothing, Holmes was at first mistaken for another police officer. It began on January 7. The discovery was made once Nevada prison authorities began collecting convicts' DNA (Ewing was already incarcerated at the time) and uploading it to the CODIS national database of the FBI. The crime spree known as the Colorado Hammer murders seemed to begin in Aurora in the early morning hours of January 4th, 1984. [149] Cinemark closed the entire Century Aurora 16 multiplex in the wake of the shooting but reopened January 17, 2013, with a 40-minute ceremony led by Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, followed by a showing of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. She was hospitalized in a coma with serious facial injuries that left her paralyzed on her left side, Connie said. Holmes faces 166 counts, almost all alleging murder or attempted murder. By the time the Bennetts were killed days later, authorities believed one attacker was responsible for the spree, and they went to great lengths to secure evidence in the killings. AURORA, Colo. ( KDVR) A 21-year-old suspect is accused of killing his mother and siblings after they were found dead in their . [41][42] One day after the shooting, officials disarmed an explosive device that was wired to the apartment's front door, allowing a remote-controlled robot to enter and disable other explosives. They entered the home to find Kaden Casteneda, 18, Marisol Espindola, 18, and Estancia Martinez, 41, stabbed and shot to death. . He murdered 12 people and injured 70 others. (STORY: BREAKING: 2/2 Alex Christopher Ewing faces multiple charges in the January 1984 murders of Patricia Louise Smith in Lakewood and Bruce, Debra and Melissa Bennett in Aurora. [90], On May 26, details of Holmes' notebook, reportedly found in a university mail room addressed to his psychiatrist Lynne Fenton, were entered into evidence at the trial for the first time. But I think there has to be some kind of justice. [14] Initially, few in the audience considered Holmes to be a threat. According to Teves' father, the campaign's incentive is to encourage media outlets to limit the usage of the suspect's name and photos when reporting about the Aurora shooting, as well as other mass shootings that receive national media coverage. Its not really, fully justice. Colorado hammer killer, aka Alex Ewing, was found guilty in the Bennetts' and Patricia Smith's murder cases in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Prosecutors offered their case as to why the trial should proceed, and defense lawyers argued that it should not. [100] The two murder convictions for each death were first-degree murder or attempted murder after deliberation, and first-degree murder or attempted murder with extreme indifference. Join the Westword community and help support [91][92] On May 27, Dr. William Reid, a court-appointed psychiatrist, testified that Holmes was mentally ill but legally sane. [85] It ended on April 15, 2015. [citation needed], On January 2, 2013, prosecutors and defense attorneys in the case returned to court in advance of the preliminary hearing, the public's first officially sanctioned look at the evidence, due to the gag order. But investigators didnt find a match until 2018, when Ewings DNA was uploaded into a national database, five years after Nevada enacted a state law that required mandatory DNA collection for people convicted of certain crimes. Booking photos for (from left) Master Martin, Jesus Mendoz-Prudente and Jerome Johnson. [43] The apartment held more than 30 homemade grenades, wired to a control box in the kitchen and filled with at least 30USgal (110L) of gasoline. Published 3:23 PM EDT, Sun October 30, 2022. However, the jurors decided that Holmes did not intend to kill children when he opened fire. Joseph Michael Ervin, left, has been identified through DNA as a serial killer who, in addition to Aurora (Colo.) police Officer Debra Sue Corr, clockwise from top middle, killed Madeleine Furey . The grizzly site was at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012. Ewing's violent spree continued 11 days later in Arizona when he attacked Roy Williams with a rock as he lay sleeping in his Kingman home. The studio canceled the film's gala premieres in France, Mexico, and Japan,[128][129] scaled down its marketing campaign in Finland,[130][131] and decided not to report box office figures for the movie until July 23. She declined to talk to TV news reporters or put Vanessas picture on the news. The jury consisted of 19 women and five men, two of whom had connections to the Columbine High School massacre. iwondergallery. Shooting Suspect is Mentally ill", "Prosecutors: Colo. suspect James Holmes made threat in March", "Aurora prosecutors drop fight for James Holmes' notebook", "Colorado Theater Shooting Lawyers Head Back to Court", "Aurora theater shooting: Cops took pill bottles from Holmes' apartment", "Aurora cinema massacre suspect James Holmes offers to plead guilty", "James Holmes prosecutors seek death penalty against Aurora suspect", "Judge considering another James Holmes trial delay", "Details emerge about jury picked for Colorado theater shooting trial", Colorado movie gunman not faking psychosis, defense witness says, "Facts, emotions take turn at Colorado theater shooting trial", "Aurora theater trial jurors see James Holmes' evidence", "Aurora movie theater shooting: Attorneys who'll be trying to prove James Holmes' guilt or innocence", "Aurora theater shooting notebook details aired for first time", "James Holmes' notebook read to jury in Colorado movie massacre trial", "Psychiatrist: Colorado shooter knew what he was doing", "Second psychiatrist concludes Colorado cinema gunman was sane", "Judge in Colorado theater shooting trial dismisses 3rd juror", "Theater shooter's ex asked him to see therapist", "Judge dismisses fifth juror in Colorado movie theater shooting trial", "Movie theater gunman says he will not testify", "Defense in Colorado theater shooting trial rests its case", "James Holmes Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder in Colorado Theater Mass Shooting, Shows No Reaction", "James Holmes guilty of murder in Aurora theater shooting", "Colorado death penalty in focus as massacre trial enters new phase", "James Holmes jury find aggravating factors exist, moves on to second phase", "Father of Colorado movie gunman pleads with jury for his life", "James Holmes Defense Make Final Appeal For Mercy", "James Holmes moves closer to death penalty verdict", "Why James Holmes Is a Step Closer to Facing the Death Penalty", "Theater shooting verdict: James Holmes sentenced to life in prison", "James Holmes sentenced to life in prison in the Aurora theater shooting", "Aurora movie theater shooter James Holmes to be sentenced to life in prison", "WATCH LIVE: Day 2 in the sentencing of Aurora theater shooting gunman", "Tearful Vigils Remember Victims of Aurora Massacre", "Obama Colorado Shooting Proclamation: Flags To Be Flown at Half Staff for Victims", "Obama, Romney pull Colorado ads off air in wake of Aurora shooting", "Obama, Romney express condolences for Colorado shooting victims", "Aurora shooting: Obama says all US stands with victim", "Obama Consoles Aurora as City Begins Healing", "After Aurora shootings, Obama Again Takes on Role as Healer in Chief in Colorado", "President Barack Obama Visits Aurora Victims' Families and Survivors", "Message of condolence following recent tragic events in the USA, 20 July 2012", "Communiqu Fusillade dans un cinma amricain", "PM Netanyahu Sends Condolence Letter to US President Barack Obama Following the Massacre in Aurora, Colorado", "Condolences to US President Barack Obama", "Pope Promises Prayers for Denver Victims", "Dark Knight Rises Director Christopher Nolan Breaks Silence on 'Unbearably Savage' Colorado Shooting", "Warner Bros. Cancels 'Dark Knight Rises' Premieres in Mexico and Japan", "Batman film Marketing Campaign Scaled Down in Finland", "Batman-elokuvan nettikampanja keskeytettiin Suomessa", "In Wake of Shooting, 'The Dark Knight Rises' Won't Report Early Box Office Figures", "Warner Bros. Said to Pull Some TV Ads for 'Dark Knight', "Box office Update: Studios Not Releasing Numbers Today", "Warner Bros. To Make 'Substantial' Donation to Colorado Shooting Victims", "Christopher Nolan on Theater Shooting: 'I Would Like to Express Our Profound Sorrow', "Dark Knight Rises Shooting: Christian Bale Visits Victims in Hospital", "Colorado Rockies pay visit to Aurora shooting survivors and hospital staff", "Gangster Squad Trailer Yanked from Internet, Dark Knight Rises Following Colorado Shooting", "Warner Bros Pulls Trailer of Gangster Shooting Up Movie Theater", "Out of respect for grieving families, "Gangster Squad" scene refilmed after Aurora theater shootings", "BATMAN INC No. Become a member to support the independent voice of Denver He also fired a Smith & Wesson M&P15[19] semi-automatic rifle with a 100-round drum magazine, which eventually malfunctioned. DNA evidence has recently linked the cold case to Alexander . Violent crimes in Aurora, including homicides, non-fatal shootings, aggravated assault, sex assaults and robberies, increased by nearly 16 percent from 2021, based on police data. After a search warrant was approved by a court judge, APD Major Crimes Homicide Unit detectives found Kaden with what appeared to be multiple stab wounds. This made it inadmissible as evidence unless Holmes' mental health became an issue in the case. Joseph Castorena, 21, went on the run after he allegedly fatally shot four people in an Aurora home on Oct. 30, with his brother and cousin now facing charges of accessory to murder after the fact . [98], By July 10, the prosecution and the defense rested their cases. [99], On July 16, after jury deliberations, Holmes was found guilty of 24 counts of first-degree murder, 140 counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of possessing illegal explosives, and a sentence enhancement of a crime of violence. January 27, 1984: Ewing attacks a man in Kingman, Arizona in his home; beats man's head with a hammer. There is nothing that can change anything. After that, parole is a . Aurora, Colorado Nathan Dunlap visits his former place of employment, shoots 5 former co-workers killing 4, and robs the store of $1,500. Reports state that according to the 1984 sentencing law, although Alex Ewing was serving up to 40 years in prison after his initial arrest in Nevada that year, he could have been eligible for parole after 20 years. Some believed he was playing a prank,[15] while others thought he was part of a special effects setup for the film's premiere, or a publicity stunt by the studio or theater management. Christopher Martinez is facing three counts of first-degree murder after he was arrested by Aurora police in the early morning hours of Dec. 11. [167], In a separate lawsuit in state court, Cinemark was sued by families of the victims, who alleged the theater should have taken greater measures to prevent such a shooting. [77], On August 9, Holmes' attorneys said he is mentally ill and they needed more time to assess the nature of his illness. About 20 minutes into the film, he left theater 9 through an emergency exit door beside the movie screen, with direct access to the lightly used parking area at the back of the complex, while propping the door slightly open with a plastic tablecloth holder.
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