James Holmes Trial Analysis

Holmes had been born into a wealthy New Hampshire family and was given the name Herman Webster Mudgett (America’s Serial Killers). “If Mudgett or his brother or sister were bad, their strict Methodist parents sent them to the attic for a full day without speaking or eating,. Mudgett’s father was especially abusive after he’d been drinking - which was often” (Spikol). However, his father was a wealthy and respected citizen and had been the local postmaster for nearly twenty five years (Taylor). It is surprising an important member of the community was a child abuser. The abuse of his father may be one of the

He grew up secluded with his two brothers, Henry and Arthur, and his sister Ellen. He also grew up with his parents who were devout Methodists. A common factor about serial killers is that they usually grew up in a strictly religious household. His home life was hard because of his mentally and physically abusive parents, especially his father. Researchers have found out that his father used tactics such as “prolonged isolation and even food deprivation. Furthermore, his father reportedly held kerosene soaked rags over Holmes and the other children’s mouths to “quiet them” when they cried.” (Concordia University). A child’s relationship with their parents is crucial in their development. Psychologists have researched this specific topic for years and drew the conclusion that, “Without the safety net of a secure attachment relationship, children grow up to become adults who struggle with feelings of low self-worth and challenges with emotional regulation. They also have an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety.” (How Childhood Trauma). Because of his parents neglecting, his idea of relationships was skewed, and he became isolated. He had no positive relationship to model after and that really took a toll on his social life. In fact, “It is possible that Holmes...was so traumatized by the abuse that it ultimately led to his inability to form meaningful relationships.” (Concordia University). He was bullied at school for being smarter than the rest of the class and having no friends. His most notable bullying incident was when “ Holmes, blindsided by classmates, was forced into a doctor’s office, where the hands of a skeleton were forcibly placed over his face.” (Concordia University). Holmes had a phobia of doctors and anatomy as a whole, and the event was so traumatic to him that his fear reversed itself and turned into an extreme interest, something that is not uncommon between trauma victims. The

During the time of the shooting, Holmes was using two psychiatric drugs. It is stated in the book that “Drugs distort individual’s thoughts, which enhances irrational

    During the 1893 Columbian Exposition, H.H. Holmes was one of the first serial killers of America. Holmes would lure his victims into his building which he transformed into his “murder castle.” First he would manipulate his victims by coming off as a

He picked a highly intense part of the movie to perform his attack, which was filled with gun shots and explosions to blend the sound. This could only have been done by Holmes studying the film and deciding when he was going to attack. The second set of first degree charges involved murder with malice aforethought. Malice refers to acts obtained through evil or indifference towards human life. This is demonstrated by him single-handedly inflicting a massacre of innocent and defenseless spectators. The counts of second degree murders were represented in two different circumstances. The first was his attempt to murder to all of the moviegoers that he wounded in his shooting rampage. The second demonstration was in reference to his apartment, in which he lined with enough explosives to bring down the entire building. This is also where his charge of possession of illegal explosives is represented.

During the construction of the “Castle” Holmes hired a carpenter named Benjamin Pitezal as his assistant because Holmes deemed him to be unintelligent and easily manipulated due to alcoholism. The victims Holmes prayed on were generally young single woman with no social ties. Holmes used a variety of methods to kill the victims. After killing the individuals; Holmes stripped the corpses of flesh and paid an individual to assemble the bones into skeleton models to sell to medical colleges for money (Wilson & Seaman, 2011). When Holmes failed to pay his debtors he and his assistant went on the run. Holmes was arrested for fraud and bonded out, however while in his jail cell he bragged to another inmate about the insurance fraud who would later reveal the crime and link to the serial killers crimes. The pair moved state to state committing frauds and petty crimes. Holmes convinced Pitezal to fake his own death so the two could collect on a $10,000.00 in another fraudulent life insurance scheme (Schmid, 2006). Holmes turned on his assistant killing not only him, but three of his young children as well. Pitezals wife alerted authorities to her missing children and husband, she was informed the remains of her husband were discovered and the realization of what had occurred with her family was uncovered. Later the

During his trial, Brown was made a martyr in the North. Brown’s eloquent speech during his trial swayed the northern opinion. At first, Brown’s lawyers wanted him to accept an insanity plea, but, according to Tony Horwitz (2011) in his book Midnight Rising, “During the proceedings when Brown would make his plea, his lawyers tried to get Brown to accept an insanity plea; however, Brown said ‘I am perfectly unconscious of insanity, and I reject, so far as I am capable, any attempt to interfere on my behalf for that score’”, thusly, Brown rejected the insanity plea, in an attempt to make his cause more noble. If Brown had accepted the insanity defense, people would dismiss his cause as insane. He was sentenced to death as a result, but he had

James Eagan Holmes, a 26 year old male from San Diego California, is the accused perpetrator of a mass shooting that killed 12 and murdered 70 people at a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012 during the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises (Wikipedia, n.d.) On March 12, 2013, a Colorado judge entered a plea of not guilty when Holmes’s attorney

Imagine being on trial for a crime you did not commit. In the book Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, Steve Harmon, a nice sixteen-year-old boy living in Harlem, New York was in a situation just like this. Steve was on trial after being accused of being a lookout during a robbery and murder at a neighborhood drugstore. Steve is innocent because he never gave a signal to the robbers that the store wasn’t clear of people and he did not know Bobo, one of the other suspected robbers. Steve was just in the store shopping for mints at the time of the crime.

On July 20, 2012 James Holmes enter a theater in Aurora Colorado and shot and killed 12 people. Attorneys tested Holmes and called for a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist stated that Holmes was so crazy that he could not distinguish what’s right and what’s wrong during the period he committed the crime. Dr Jonathan Woodcock interviewed Holmes during the time he was in jail on July 24 just four days after the shooting occurred for two hours duration. Holmes’s testimony drew questions from prosecutors that doubted his analyzation of Holmes being severe delusional during the mass shooting. Doctor claimed that they found Holmes suffering from severe mental illness and because of that it made him act violently. Holmes thought that if he snitch and went on and told the public of attempting to kill strangers he would be obligated to pay for the consequences. Doctors testified that one of Holmes delusion was to go out and do what he had to do. Woodcock was a witness by the defense to purpose the idea that Holmes was indeed crazy the moment he shot and killed people dead. Before the shooting occurred Holmes had already symptoms of mental illness disorder which made him anxious and stress and committed the crime.

Dayton, Tennessee was the location of which John Thomas Scopes was charged with a crime. The crime charged against Mr. Scopes was that he was teaching evolution. The law in Tennessee states that the misdemeanor is punishable and the law states “teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead of that man has descended from a lower order of animals.” Scopes asked for the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union to assist him in his trial. When William Jennings Bryan heard of the attack on Christian fundamentalism went to assist the prosecution. Clarence Darrow an amazing attorney agreed to help the defense. The trial began on July 10, 1921 and within a few days many reporters

With his “murder castle” complete and the World’s Fair being hosted in Chicago in 1893, Holmes had the idea to market his castle as a hotel. With all the visitors coming to Chicago, Holmes could lure more people into his castle to murder. For the next few years, he selected victims among his employees, lovers, and hotel guests to torture and murder. Some of his victims were locked in sound-proof rooms lined with gas lines that allowed him to asphyxiate them at any time. He would also lock some of his victims in a large vault next to his office, so he could listen as they screamed, panicked, and finally suffocated. After being murdered, the victim’s body would be sent down to the basement. The bodies were sometimes dissected, stripped of flesh,

I overall agree with your discussion statement. However one aspect I feel you failed to mention was James Holmes mental state, when giving a reason why he would commit such an act. After the tragic incident, reports came out how he suffered from mentally illness and was prescribed medications to deal with his emotions and state of mind. While not highly talked about, there is a link between the type of medication people are given for mental health issues and acts of extreme violence and suicide. I believe his mental illness and the medication he was taking played a vital role in Holmes committing such an horrible

H.H. Holmes personifies the stereotypical murder. Throughout his killing spree, Holmes pretended to be a gentleman, even marrying some of his victims. When Holmes was interrogated later, he described himself as Satan.(6) Using a friendly outward appearance, Holmes was able to escape suspicion when the victims’ family questioned disappearances. Holmes gave those families false hope that the victims would be found, or had just run away and had not died. When in reality Holmes had brutally murdered each one and hid all of evidence.

The homicide scene introduces Holmes's incredible reasoning processes. In a search to figure out the answer to a death, the local detectives call in Holmes. The man, who had a boarding pass for a flight that crashed the day before, appears suspiciously dead in the trunk of a car. Within thirty seconds of investigation, Holmes's observations lead him to over four conclusions. As Holmes searches through the contents found on the dead man's body, the point of view is placed directly through Sherlock's eyes. His eyes focus on intricate