15°c Partly cloudy
6°c Clear
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Suspect played with puppets
Accused shooter mentally ill: defence
CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- It was hours after a Colorado movie theatre shooting, and James Holmes was not acting like a man accused of methodically planning the attack that killed 12 people.
As a police detective interviewed the suspect they'd picked up outside the theatre, he started pretending the paper bags on his hands -- meant to preserve gunshot residue -- were puppets.
The former neuroscience graduate student tried to jam a staple into an electrical outlet. He played with a cup on the table. An officer noted that his eyes were dilated.
The description came Tuesday as prosecutors try to show Holmes should face a trial for the July 20 attack at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises. He faces more than 160 felony charges for allegedly killing 12 and injuring 70.
Defence attorneys say Holmes is mentally ill, and have used their questions to try to make that point. They said they might call witnesses later in the week who could discuss Holmes' mental health.
The description of Holmes after the attack, given by police detective Craig Appel, seemed to undercut prosecutors' attempts to show Holmes as methodical, spending two months to assemble his arsenal.
The first recorded purchase: two tear gas grenades, ordered online May 10.
Holmes also bought two Glock handguns, a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle, along with 6,295 rounds of ammunition, targets, body armour and chemicals, prosecutors said.
He dyed his hair bright orange, then bought a scope and non-firing dummy bullets, the visit and the new hair colour documented in security video.
Finally, he purchased glycerin and potassium permanganate -- chemicals that could combine to create fire and sparks -- from a Denver science store. At some point, he also improvised napalm, as well as thermite, a substance which burns so hot that water can't extinguish the blaze.
Holmes' purchases were split between two planned attacks, prosecutors said -- the theatre shooting and a booby trapped apartment that would've blown up if anyone had entered.
Police said he volunteered information about the booby traps. Authorities dismantled them.
-- The Associated Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 9, 2013 A8
Fact Check
Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.
More World
- Back to Top
- Return to World
More World
(1 of 28 articles for today)
AEG lawyer revises testimony, tells jury director of Jackson's tour had full contract
12:44 PM 0LOS ANGELES, Calif. - A corporate lawyer for concert giant AEG Live LLC has revised his testimony and now says ...
Poll
Most Popular World
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Huge, ferocious tornado flattens town in Oklahoma, killing at least 24 people
- The pope and the devil: Francis' obsession with Satan leads to suspicion he performed exorcism
- Tornado leads CBS to pull season-ending episode of 'Mike & Molly'
- Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris evacuated after suicide inside the landmark church
- US zoo looking into conception mystery after birth of anteater; no male in pen
- Tornado warnings spanning Midwest, from Texas to Illinois, in wake of deadly Oklahoma twister
- Umbrella-gate stirs outrage
- Sean Penn urges US to pressure Bolivia to free American businessman held nearly 2 years
- Tornado flattens buildings near Oklahoma City
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Phone cracked? Cool
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Celebrities react to Angelina Jolie's revelation of double mastectomy
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Umbrella-gate stirs outrage
- US zoo looking into conception mystery after birth of anteater; no male in pen
- Jurors find Jodi Arias eligible for death penalty after murder conviction in boyfriend killing
- Boston Marathon runners who couldn't finish because of blasts can return in 2014
- Huge, ferocious tornado flattens town in Oklahoma, killing at least 24 people
- Amanda Berry, 1 of 3 women freed after held captive in Ohio home, arrives at sister's home
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
- Police vow to solve shooting that wounded 19 people during Mother's Day parade in New Orleans
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Missing Pa. woman, last seen dropping off kids for school in 2002, surfaces in Fla.
- As Boston mourns, suspected brothers' radicalism comes into focus
- Cleveland police: Ohio captive suffered 5 miscarriages after being beaten and starved
- Jodi Arias convicted of first-degree murder, says she prefers death penalty
- Neighbours: Man in custody comforted missing girl's mom, helped search for missing US women
- Parents of Boston suspect say he travelled to Russia to visit relatives, sleep a lot
- Argentina's 'dirty war' dictator dies
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Israeli university to grant honorary PhD to Barbra Streisand during June visit
- Huge, ferocious tornado flattens town in Oklahoma, killing at least 24 people
- Yahoo goes for Tumblr, pays $1.1B
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Man charged after overnight feast in closed Kentucky supermarket
- Celebrities react to Angelina Jolie's revelation of double mastectomy
- Lawyer: Saudi man travelling with pressure cooker didn't know device used in Boston bombings
- Hatchet-wielding hitchhiker who intervened in California attack arrested in NJ homicide
- Remote Alaska volcano continues to erupt, with lava fountains, ash plumes
- Argentina's 'dirty war' dictator dies
- Massive tornado roars through Oklahoma City suburb, killing at least 51
- Shady characters: Cookie Monster, Elmo accused of aggressive behaviour in Times Square
- 'Coronation Street' actor William Roache charged in UK over alleged rapes in 1967
- Coroner: 5-year-old boy shoots 2-year-old sister in US with rifle he got as a gift
- Hitler ate well, his food taster recalls
- Black bear wanders into LA-area suburbia, chases swimmers from pool, strands kids in class
- Female guards, rapidly growing in numbers, at heart of U.S. prison scandal
- Phone cracked? Cool
- Bill to alter rules of succession before Kate gives birth nears completion as Lords approve
- US tourists swim for nearly 14 hours after boat sinks near St. Lucia
- IBM makes movie about a little boy - a very little boy - by pushing molecules around
- Friendship with bomb suspect, complex chain of events leads to 3 being charged
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.