A preliminary hearing for the Aurora theater massacre is expected to reveal new details as attorneys lay out the case against shooting suspect James Holmes. NBC News' Leanne Gregg reports.
By Tracy Connor, NBC News
The officer who arrested James Holmes after the Aurora movie theater massacre testified Monday that the suspect -- wearing a helmet, gas mask and body armor -- was so “relaxed” he thought he was another cop.
“He was just standing there,” said Jason Oviatt, of the Aurora Police Department.
Oviatt was testifying at a weeklong preliminary hearing where Colorado prosecutors are outlining the evidence against the grad-school dropout accused of slaughtering 12 people and wounding 58 more during a July 20 screening of the Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises.”
The officer described how he was working the graveyard shift when he was summoned to the Century 16 multiplex, went behind theater No. 9 and saw Holmes standing by a car in the SWAT-type gear.
Bill Robles / Reuters
Aurora massacre suspect James Holmes (left) being led into court in Centennial, Colo., for Monday's preliminary hearing.
When he realized the young man was not a fellow officer, Oviatt ordered him at gunpoint to put up his hands and get on the ground, where he handcuffed him.
Holmes did not resist and seemed “very relaxed” and detached, the officer testified. He was dripping with sweat and his pupils were dilated; he did not display “normal emotions.”
When Oviatt searched Holmes, he found two ammunition magazines in his pocket and two knives. Holmes volunteered that his home was booby-trapped with “improvised explosive devices,” the officer said.
Oviatt was the first witness at the hearing in Centennial, Colo., which could be the closest thing to a trial in the case if Holmes and prosecutors reach a plea deal.
Because of a gag order in the case, many details of the investigation have been kept under wraps until this week.
Victims’ families were in the courtroom for the testimony, which became graphic as more officers took the stand and recalled the carnage they saw in the theater and their desperate attempts to save lives.
Officer Aaron Blue told the court that he saw another officer pulling out a woman, identified as Jessica Ghawi, who had been shot in the head and leg. Every time she moved, she stopped breathing, he said. She later died.
Officer Justin Grizzle said that when he entered the theater he heard people screaming and stepped over an assault rifle left on the blood-slicked floor.
Tear gas stung his eyes and cellphones were ringing everywhere.
He saw motionless bodies across the theater and “some gunshot victims that were just crawling to get out."
He made four trips to the hospital with victims.
On his first, Ashley Moser, shot in the head and abdomen, was in the back seat. Her boyfriend kept asking, “That’s my wife. Is my wife going to live?” and tried to jump out of the car to find Ashley's 6-year-daughter. The pregnant mom survived but was paralyzed while her daughter died.
By the time Grizzle was done transporting the wounded, he said, his patrol car was covered in blood and he could hear blood “sloshing” in the back seat.
Holmes, 25, a former University of Colorado doctoral student of neuroscience, is charged with 166 counts of murder, attempted murder and weapons possession.
After this week's proceedings, prosecutors will decide whether to seek the death penalty for Holmes, who dyed his hair bright orange before the bloodbath and reportedly told police he was “the Joker,” an apparent reference to Batman’s archenemy.
Court hearing focuses on Holmes' notebook
Legal analysts predict that Holmes will ultimately plead not guilty by reason of insanity. Public defender Daniel King has said that his client suffers from an unspecified mental illness, and he has subpoenaed two witnesses to testify about Holmes' mental state.
KUSA's Anastasiya Bolton and Blair Shiff contributed to this report.
Ted S. Warren / AP
Twelve people were killed and 58 were injured when a gunman opened fire in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater.
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By Tracy Connor, NBC News
The officer who arrested James Holmes after the Aurora movie theater massacre testified Monday that the suspect -- wearing a helmet, gas mask and body armor -- was so “relaxed” he thought he was another cop.
“He was just standing there,” said Jason Oviatt, of the Aurora Police Department.
Oviatt was testifying at a weeklong preliminary hearing where Colorado prosecutors are outlining the evidence against the grad-school dropout accused of slaughtering 12 people and wounding 58 more during a July 20 screening of the Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises.”
The officer described how he was working the graveyard shift when he was summoned to the Century 16 multiplex, went behind theater No. 9 and saw Holmes standing by a car in the SWAT-type gear.
Aurora massacre suspect James Holmes (left) being led into court in Centennial, Colo., for Monday's preliminary hearing.
When he realized the young man was not a fellow officer, Oviatt ordered him at gunpoint to put up his hands and get on the ground, where he handcuffed him.
Holmes did not resist and seemed “very relaxed” and detached, the officer testified. He was dripping with sweat and his pupils were dilated; he did not display “normal emotions.”
When Oviatt searched Holmes, he found two ammunition magazines in his pocket and two knives. Holmes volunteered that his home was booby-trapped with “improvised explosive devices,” the officer said.
Oviatt was the first witness at the hearing in Centennial, Colo., which could be the closest thing to a trial in the case if Holmes and prosecutors reach a plea deal.
Because of a gag order in the case, many details of the investigation have been kept under wraps until this week.
Victims’ families were in the courtroom for the testimony, which became graphic as more officers took the stand and recalled the carnage they saw in the theater and their desperate attempts to save lives.
Officer Aaron Blue told the court that he saw another officer pulling out a woman, identified as Jessica Ghawi, who had been shot in the head and leg. Every time she moved, she stopped breathing, he said. She later died.
Officer Justin Grizzle said that when he entered the theater he heard people screaming and stepped over an assault rifle left on the blood-slicked floor.
Tear gas stung his eyes and cellphones were ringing everywhere.
He saw motionless bodies across the theater and “some gunshot victims that were just crawling to get out."
He made four trips to the hospital with victims.
On his first, Ashley Moser, shot in the head and abdomen, was in the back seat. Her boyfriend kept asking, “That’s my wife. Is my wife going to live?” and tried to jump out of the car to find Ashley's 6-year-daughter. The pregnant mom survived but was paralyzed while her daughter died.
By the time Grizzle was done transporting the wounded, he said, his patrol car was covered in blood and he could hear blood “sloshing” in the back seat.
Holmes, 25, a former University of Colorado doctoral student of neuroscience, is charged with 166 counts of murder, attempted murder and weapons possession.
After this week's proceedings, prosecutors will decide whether to seek the death penalty for Holmes, who dyed his hair bright orange before the bloodbath and reportedly told police he was “the Joker,” an apparent reference to Batman’s archenemy.
Court hearing focuses on Holmes' notebook
Legal analysts predict that Holmes will ultimately plead not guilty by reason of insanity. Public defender Daniel King has said that his client suffers from an unspecified mental illness, and he has subpoenaed two witnesses to testify about Holmes' mental state.
KUSA's Anastasiya Bolton and Blair Shiff contributed to this report.
Ted S. Warren / APTwelve people were killed and 58 were injured when a gunman opened fire in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater.
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