Episode 382: Dark Knight Rises Massacre - Neuroscience Student Says Killing People Will Cure His Depression
The entire courtroom is quiet as each person walks up to the front and points. They point at this tiny miniature model of a movie theater sitting on the table.
The tiny blue miniature model seats are positioned just like they were when it all happened.
3 years ago - the emergency exit door to theater 9 would open. A man with bright orange hair wearing tactical gear would walk into the theater - and open fire.
At the midnight premier of Batman The Dark Knight Rises.
He is now sitting in the courtroom charged with 24 counts of murder, 140 counts attempted murder, and 1 count for illegal explosives.
But there are still so many questions - he told his psychiatrist months prior that he wanted to kill people. Why wasn’t he put on a psychiatric hold? Why did he write a notebook filled with his plans to mail to her? Why did he, a neuroscience major, hate humanity so much to believe in something as vile as “human capital?” The idea that taking a life increases the value of your own.
Full Source Notes: rottenmangopodcast.com
Sources
Book - ‘A Dark Night in Aurora: Inside James Holmes and the Colorado Mass Shootings’ by Dr. William H. Reid
Public court documents
Public court footage
James Holmes’s Diary Annotated by Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2091448-james-holmes-notebook-annotated-by-dr-jeffrey#document/p14/a221174
James Holmes’s Diary PDF https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2091448/james-holmes-notebook-annotated-by-dr-jeffrey.pdf
Survivor’s footage from that evening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7sIiqq66rk
Aurora Police Officer Bryan Butler
9NEWS https://youtu.be/7oAABzR2u88?si=BOz_axKtGvF5wEEn
Arresting Officer Jason Oviatt
9NEWS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVOZnlCI2xE&pp=ygUMamFtZXMgaG9sbWVz
https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-james-holmes-parents-20150504-story.html
https://www.newsweek.com/james-holmes-verdict-354496
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAPkg3lbtSs
https://www.denverpost.com/2012/07/20/aurora-theater-shooting-trauma-rooms-scrambled-to-save-lives/
https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/james-holmes-therapist-lynne-fenton-reveals-creepy-sessions/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dr-lynne-fenton-psychiatrist-aurora-shooting-disciplined_n_1723287
https://www.cnn.com/2012/07/27/us/colorado-theater-shooting-psychiatrist/index.html
https://www.mdedge.com/psychiatry/article/55528/deep-dark-past-dr-lynne-fenton/page/0/1?reg=1
https://people.com/crime/aurora-shooting-survivor-responding-officer-fell-in-love/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/aurora-theater-shooting-survivors-tie-knot-year/story?id=19728681
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School_shooting
https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2015/jun/11/theater-shooters-ex-i-didnt-see-future-him/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/f4458f48-787f-4159-9d1b-5ae212e108b8
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/aurora_shooting
https://www.denverpost.com/2015/07/27/aurora-theater-shooters-sister-recalls-kind-brother/
https://apnews.com/general-news-15bfc3bdcc544bcbbe60676fc42515d0
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_man
https://www.cnn.com/2015/02/13/us/gallery/long-jury-selection/index.html
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/young-thug-ysl-trial-jury-1234868136/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/apr/01/james-holmes-prosecutors-death-penalty
https://abcnews.go.com/US/death-penalty-james-holmes-applauded-dead/story?id=18853895
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Colorado
https://deadspin.com/why-jessica-ghawi-wrote-under-the-name-redfield-moving-5927782/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Duchene
https://www.cpr.org/show-segment/theater-shooting-victims-mother-a-voice-for-daughter-in-courtroom/
https://www.deseret.com/2012/7/22/20425429/mother-wounded-son-watched-as-friend-died-in-colo/
https://sentinelcolorado.com/metro/10-years-ale-yes-for-a-j-boik/
https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE86L02A/
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/28/us/recalling-lives-of-colorado-shooting-victims.html
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/110421991/jesse_evan-childress
https://www.foxnews.com/video/1748385927001
https://www.denverpost.com/2012/07/21/air-force-colleagues-mourn-loss-of-jesse-childress/
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/theater-shooting-victims-daughter-recalls-his-loving-antics/
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/austin-tx/gordon-cowden-8214524
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069906520146
https://nypost.com/2012/07/28/colorado-victims-matt-mcquinn-and-jessica-ghawi-mourned-at-funerals/
https://www.newcomerdenver.com/obituary/59402
https://www.denverpost.com/2012/07/26/micayla-medek-funeral-about-joyful-spirit-of-sandwich-artist/
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/shooting-victim-remembered-for-joy/
https://www.fox6now.com/news/another-colorado-shooting-victim-with-wisconsin-ties
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/theater-shooting-victims-mom-grief-is-agonizing-pain/
https://www.denverpost.com/2015/06/18/dont-whitewash-the-aurora-theater-shootings-saddest-story/
https://www.freep.com/story/news/nation/2015/01/22/aurora-theater-shooting/22158161/
https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-james-holmes-gruesome-evidence-20150601-story.html
https://www.cnn.com/2012/07/22/us/colorado-shooting-survivors/index.html
https://www.denverpost.com/2012/07/21/jon-blunk-26-tried-to-protect-his-girlfriend-2/
https://www.denverpost.com/2012/07/21/alex-sullivan-remembered-for-the-many-friends-he-loved/
https://www.denverpost.com/2012/07/21/alex-teves-one-of-the-best-men-i-ever-knew-friend-says/
https://www.denverpost.com/2012/07/21/veronica-moser-6-victim-of-theater-shooting/
https://sentinelcolorado.com/obituaries/massacre-victim-rebecca-wingo-never-knew-a-stranger/
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/lost-first-love-batman-killer-27545710
https://www.thetrace.org/2015/12/children-of-mass-shootings-aurora/
https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1c7vg4m/pics_from_correspondences_sent_to_james_holmes/
https://www.today.com/parents/parents/aurora-theater-shooting-alex-sullivan-dad-rcna39427
https://www.5280.com/running-for-alex-how-tom-sullivan-turned-tragedy-into-a-political-crusade/
https://x.com/kurtisalee/status/226321593222180865
https://momentsthatsurvive.org/tribute/colorado-state-representative-tom-sullivan-hd-37/
https://abc7.com/aurora-shooting-dark-knight-rises-movie-theater-shootings/367594/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/colorado-shooting-survivor-he-pointed-gun-right-me-flna898600
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/quadriplegic-theater-shooting-survivor-loves-to-work-hard/
https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-james-holmes-parents-20150504-story.html
https://archive.nytimes.com/bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/reddit-aurora-shooter-aff/
https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/01/18/us/20130119_aurora.html?smid=url-share
YT video of real radio transmissions by Aurora Police: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G2OxLaPauA
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/10/joker-aurora-shooting-rumor
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/08/opinion/sunday/aurora-movie-theater-shooting-colorado.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/powerful-photos-released-from-aurora-theater-shooting/27/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/back-aurora-colorado-movie-theater-shooting-years/story?id=48730066
https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/tragedy-in-colorado-idJPRTR354EE/
https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/aurora-shooting-looking-back-idJPRTR3C6K0/
https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/flashback-aurora-movie-massacre-idINRTX1KLGX/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/robert-holmes-james-holmes-father-arrives-colorado_n_1690807
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/gallery/james-holmes-booby-trapped-home-6420493
https://www.cpr.org/2015/08/03/jury-declines-to-rule-out-death-penalty-for-james-holmes/
https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-colorado-theater-shooting-pictures-photogallery.html
Production Note:
Rotten Mango has not done original reporting on this case. The stories are based on existing material (listed in show notes).
The RM team works hard to make sure everything you’re listening to is as accurate as possible and we try to use multiple sources to verify the facts. Creative liberties may be taken in certain cases during the presentation of the case. Please email us at rottenmangop@gmail.com if you have any questions!