Last July, James Holmes opened fire with a gun in an Aurora, Colorado movie theatre. Twelve people were killed and seventy injured. He planned the massacre in detail and knew exactly what he was doing when he did it. Yesterday, his lawyers said they were going to change James Holmes' plea to not guilty by reason of insanity. I think anyone who is willing to kill hundreds of people is insane, but I don't think it should be an excuse to not have to go to prison. Yes, he would go to a hospital. Why? Because someone thinks he can be fixed and then someday get out and do it all over again? I think there is a big difference between someone like James Holmes and then someone who is mentally challenged and commits a crime and really does not have the mental capacity to determine right from wrong. I don't see any of that with this guy. I just see a guy who wanted to kill some people and is now trying to get away with it.
Huh. I could've sworn CDAN was a gossip site. Three newsie stories in a row. It's all about the damn clicks, ain't it, Enty/s?
ReplyDelete^Enty loves to get all self righteously sanctimonious and encourage others to do the same.
ReplyDeleteHolmes is definitely 'off', but society clearly needs to be protected from him. If his insanity defense works, he'll be confined to a mental institution for life, so I'm not worried about it.
Don't care if he goes to prison or an institution, as long as he's locked up for life. From what I hear, they can be equally horrific.
ReplyDeleteI seriously doubt he is criminally insane. Clinically "insane", yes. Criminally insane, no.
ReplyDeleteTHREE news stories? The singer story is gossip news, or wouldn't it be if mick jagger (or someone whose name I can spell) wanted to kill his new scort whomever she is?
ReplyDeleteThis one of the cinema killer is somewhat related to gossip because it was in a Batman movie, but this is not very gossipy.
people who plead to an NGRI defense and are successful with that defense actually have a harder time getting out of a forensic hospital than if they were sentenced to jail. forensic mental hospitals are not there to "fix" the person per se, but more to treat the symptoms of the mental illness. bottom line, individuals sent to the hospitals typically receive little chance of ever being free.
ReplyDeleteCompletely true! I'm studying to be a Clinical Psychologist with an emphasis in Forensic Psychology, and all of my professors say the exact same thing.
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ReplyDeleteI think he should fry...
ReplyDeleteThis. The amount of planning he did clearly shows intent. I imagine its going to be VERY difficult to get an NGRI verdict. Is he crazy? Batshit. But he's gonna be found guilty and rightfully so. Life in prison. Though frying him would certainly save tax payers some money...
DeleteAs long as he is removed from society forever I am fine with however they do it. I still can't believe John Lennon's killer has holidays with his family.
ReplyDeleteSince we're doing news stories I think giant snails in Houston should be posted!!
@__-__ Holy Sheet! My God, those things are MASSIVE. *grabbing 50lbs bag of rock salt* Who wants to head to Houston?
DeleteThere are beer bowls in my yard right now! Shiner!!
DeleteHe was eatting twinkies.
ReplyDelete@_-_=_ - the giant snails are here in south Florida too - there's been some articles about them locally. They like to eat through stucco and concrete (which a lot of houses here are built of because of hurricanes). I think if we see one we're supposed to call animal control or the state wildlife commission or something so they can eradicate them. Not looking forward to seeing one. :(
ReplyDeleteSusanB - Nooooooo! They're HUGE!! This is going to be like Cane Toads the movie!
DeleteI think any pre meditated murder is product of insane mind. That in NO WAY means they shldnt be punished to full extent of law. As someone above said, locking him up is the objective , jail or nut house, i dont care. And i dont mind topical news posts at all. Better than any housewives post anytime. To each his own. :)
ReplyDeleteYep much better.
DeleteLife in prison without parole is less expensive to the taxpayers because while on death row, that can appeal repeatedly and at tax payer expense.
ReplyDeleteI'm appalled by his actions, but I'd also be appalled by my self if were screaming for someone's blood. I think a mental health facility would suit this case. He'd never get out.
@Gayeld - You can crash at my place. I won't kill snails with you, but we can get drunk!
ReplyDeleteDiscoflux - be sure to share some beer with the snails!
DeleteThe judge in this case has ruled the use of truth serum on him. I'm not sure if that is to discover if he faking his insanity or what.
ReplyDeletePlease forgive my atrocious communication skills this morning. I'm not allowed to have caffeine today and I am missing it VERY much.
ReplyDeleteTo be guilty by reason of insanity, it means you were in a fit of insanity at the time.
ReplyDeleteThis was premeditated. Even if he had many fits of insanity where he planned the crime, what about when he was "sane." Shouldn't he have gone to the police and told them he was planning to do this. His therapist? Someone?
By that reason, I think he should be thrown in prison. If he was in a fit of insanity and shot up anyone around him, no premeditation, then I could see the insane plea.
Those giant snails are creepy and VERY infectious. They can cause meningitis and also have a parasite that is very detrimental to humans. People here are being told if they see them to not under any circumstances touch them. Gross.
ReplyDeleteman you guys are grumpy today. it's just news, maybe its a slow gossip day, do we really want to rehash the same old celeb stories? rihanna needs rehab, kanye hates kim, pimp mama kris is trying to milk more money out of her kids and she's a bitchy mom, Good Lord. This james holmes guy has been doing the fake crazy glazed looks since day one. he's fine, just wanted a lot of attention and maybe a stifled closet case.
ReplyDeleteNo sane person would ever have done what he did. Premeditated or not. Just saying....
ReplyDelete@auntliddy - I agree with you there.
ReplyDelete@susanb, npr said the giant snails are edible like the smaller escargot variety. I haven't seen any either but I'm all for helping to keep these suckers under control and in my belly, if need be. :D
ReplyDeleteWith the level of mental health care in this country, who cares if he goes to a hospital or prison? It's not like the great doctors and staff go work at the state mental hospitals. He'll be in hell, either way. Just pretend he's in the hospital in American Horror Story.
ReplyDeleteweird post for a lawyer; does not seem to reflect any semblance of understanding of criminal law and the insanity defense. oh well.
ReplyDelete@usernametaken - By that logic everyone in prison should actually be in a mental institution.
ReplyDeleteFrom day one of this story I thought he was faking. The looks he gave in court, the mug shot, it all looked like someone TRYING to look insane. Trying to look like he had severe mental problems.
I was at a dinner party last week and met a guy that was a well respected psychiatrist. He specializes in criminal insanity cases, so James Holmes came up. I told him how I thought he was faking it and he agreed with me.
When I asked why he agreed with me he said, "because his hair was red". Sounds like a weird answer right? But then he explained that James Holmes didn't just dress up as the Joker, he said he WAS the Joker. He was in the parking lot packing up his car, getting ready to leave, when he saw the police approaching. They didn't know that he was the killer at this point, but before they even said a word to him he turned and said "I'm the Joker."
So I asked what that had to do with his hair color. He said that Holmes was claiming that he WAS a fictional character, and when someone has that level of insanity... when they REALLY have it, the brain acts in a very specific way. The Joker has been around since 1940, over 70 years of this character, and over 70 years of this character having GREEN hair.
Basically, the psychiatrist said that if Holmes was truly insane, his brain wouldn't have allowed him to put on the makeup. When he looked in the mirror to put the makeup on, that insane part of his brain would have said "wait, if I'm the Joker, why is my hair red? I'm the Joker! My hair should be green!"
Of course, the psychiatrist hadn't treated Holmes, but he was following the case very closely, and he's worked with people in the past that were criminally insane. At first I thought he was joking, but he was very serious. It also wasn't the only reason that he thought Holmes was faking, but it was a big red flag to him. He said that Holmes isn't "sane" either, but he's not the level of insane that he and his legal team are claiming.
Anyway, just thought I'd share that with everyone... I spent all night talking with this guy, he was by far the most interesting person there! :)