By the way -- if he was trying to go for the Joker? Lame attempt. I'm a fan of the Joker myself. I like the creative challenge of writing a comedic mass-murder. But what this guy did was not funny. Or creative. He did what pretty much anybody could do -- get a bunch of guns, walk into a theatre, and shoot the place up. That's not Joker. That's not supervillain at all. And the Joker does not have red hair. The Joker has green hair. Y'know who has red hair?
Guess the guy is spitting at the doors and the guards and all the inmates are talking about how to kill him. They say he is acting like he is in a movie. Guys not right in the head.
the "not guilty because of Insanity" has been so abused that now people are afraid to call crazy people crazy for fear they may get a "get out of jail free card"
Or he's acting crazy so he doesn't get the death penalty. He could probably do it, he's a PhD candidate in neurology, so he knows how to fake symptoms.
Schizophrenics dont have the ability to meticulously plan such a mass murder. To be diagnosed schizo, that suggests psychotic pathology...this guy wasnt psychotic, he knew (*)(*)(*)(*) well what he was doing.
no one that deliberately kills kids at point blank range for being there, and tries to blow up their own home, neighbors and all, for a diversion is right in the head. the question is did he know right from wrong when it happened.
Sometimes the family or families of the victims of violent crime want a trial, other times they don't. If they want/need that closure, then I say keep him alive. If they don't...bears get hungry, too.
Whatever is wrong w/him, this insanity/psychosis - whatever you want to call it -it's obviously been simmering for a long time - even what his mother said 'you have the right person' confirms that.... I'm guessing he'll go into a psychiatric hospital after the judge hears the results of the evaluations claiming he's not competent to stand trial..... but who knows?
Regardless. He will never be a free man again. Never. We have never set a mass-murderer free. Speck died in jail in '91. Gacy in '94. David Berkowitz will die in jail. McVeigh was executed. Only McVeigh qualifies as a similar mass-murderer, although he had a clear political agenda. The others were as serial killers. But it doesn't matter. Holmes is forever removed from society. Insanity defense or otherwise. Its a fool's errand to debate it.
From what I've understood, it's not that easy to get an insanity plea. Andrea Yates is the only one I can think of and she was a legit psychotic case ... what a rotten shame that arrogant, worthless husband of hers didn't go to prison for endangering their kids. I can't imagine a mental hospital is any vacation for the inmates - they're locked up just like in prison....
For Holmes, however, it's not much of a punishment. The man was a loner anyway; always alone and by himself. It's the way he liked it...as he is a social misfit. If the James Holmes from Aurora on the sex website is in fact, him......he left a cryptic message...."will you visit me in prison?" Probably thinks he'll have more admirers in prison. PLUS, he never meant to die that night; he meant to surrender. He knew he couldn't go back to his apt. and obviously didn't have any other plans. IMO, he always intended to just give up to police and go to prison. IMO, the guy needs to die. He planned it for months. The scumbag shouldn't be allowed to breathe the same air as the rest of us. I think about the little 6 year old he killed and my heart breaks. OR the 27 year old young man there to see the movie on his Birthday.......now, dead today. My heart aches and breaks for these precious victims and their families.
I do not disagree, and wish we still had public hangings at a minimum. Actual 'death by a thousand cuts" would be OK. "Drawn and quartered" had it right back in old England.. But he will grow old and die in jail. Or if we are fortunate .... die young.
I'm not sure the color of his dyed hair has anything to do with anything. His hair may have been dyed that way for some time...for all we know. He DID say to the police, "I am the Joker".....but again, I don't think his hair was supposed to be a part of that comment. IF he's the same James Holmes that appeared on the sex site just days before the killings.....he had red hair then.
It is very difficult because you have to have an active defense in that case. You have to prove they were 100% temporarily crazy and without knowledge of right or wrong, as opposed to forcing the prosecution to prove they did it. Much harder. You can certainly in non-murder cases a lot easier, but in murder cases the community sits up and its hard to find a jury that will let someone off who killed children.
I doubt you try something like this unless the prospect of death is also something you're willing to accept as possible. Life or death, he's exactly where he wants to be... which is why I propose we give him the ultimate punishment there is. Force him to watch Lifetime original movies.
Comments like this amaze me.... his own mother had said 'you have the right person' when she was contacted about her son. Doesn't that tell you something? He's not acting crazy - he IS crazy! It had to have taken him at least a couple of months to plan everything out, get the right equipment, clothing, rig his apartment w/explosives - all of it. This 'Joker' will be locked up forever and he should be......
I don't personally want him to be able to "grow old." NONE of his victims get that opportunity; why should he? He'll eventually be watching tv, reading papers, receiving letters, working out in an exercise room......while all the victims, including the little 6 year old he murdered are laying in their graves. It makes me sick.
You're right.... people like that should never see the light of day again, but I'm betting he'll go into a mental hospital.....
Well...it's actually not that cool.^^ Murderers get tiny cells, maybe the length of a dog kennel to walk in, they don't always get TV or exercise room privileges. I sometimes think true life in solitary is worse than death because of the sheer boredom with nothing but regret day in and day out. I don't even mean regret for murder--they may not have a change of heart--but regret for the stupidity that put them behind bars for the rest of their lives in that tiny cell with weird air, bland walls, overhead lighting that is blaring... It's really not a pleasant experience. Death is quicker and preferable.
Well, either way will work for me...... I'll be interested to hear what his parents have to say about their life w/him. The other day on the news I saw his dad at the airport, heading to CO - questions were being thrown at him and he never answered...... The victims he left behind, including a 6 yr old girl and his own family ... all that heartache.
