Aurora shooter's father: He was 'an excellent kid'

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — The father of the Aurora theater shooter took the stand Tuesday in an effort to spare his son from the death penalty.

Robert Holmes described family photos, videos and other childhood images of the shooter, painting a picture of his son as a typical boy living in a stable household, a bright kid who played soccer and video games.

Defense attorney Tamara Brady asked Robert Holmes if he still loves his son.

“Yes I do,” Holmes said. “Well, he’s my son. We always got along pretty well. He was, actually, an excellent kid.”

As his father testified, James Holmes showed no emotion, as he has throughout his trial.

On July 16, a jury rejected an insanity plea and convicted James Holmes of first-degree murder and attempted murder for killing 12 people and wounding 70 others when he opened fire in a crowded movie theater in the Denver suburb three years ago.

The 27-year-old former University of Colorado neuroscience researcher could face the death penalty when he is sentenced for the carefully planned July 20, 2012, attack in Aurora. After an 11-week trial, it took the jury just 12 hours of deliberations over two days to convict Holmes.

Robert Holmes said he noticed his son had an odd facial expression about seven months before the attack, and he was reminded of it later when he saw his son’s mug shot.

Robert Holmes says he has seen James Holmes in jail only three times because his son typically does not allow visitors. During his first visit, Robert Holmes said his son “was clearly really messed up” with his eyes bulging and his pupils dilated.

Robert Holmes testified his family didn’t suspect any mental illness afflicting their son in the days leading up to the shooting. He said they were concerned about depression because the shooter had broken up with his girlfriend and dropped out of graduate school.

"I was concerned he might be depressed. That was our main concern," Robert Holmes said.

Holmes also disclosed other family members lived with mental illness, but that issue was not talked about in their household.

"Does mental illness run in your family?" Brady asked.

"Yes, based on what I've learned during the trial, and the investigation," Holmes replied.

He testified he didn't learn about his sister's diagnosis until he saw it in court. Holmes said he knew his father had mental health issues late in life before he died.

"My mom generally handled most of that, and she never told us much about it," Holmes said.

Holmes said he suspected some variety of schizophrenia with his sister.

"My mom didn't really want to talk about it," Holmes said. "In general, it was something we never really talked about."

He says his sister has been on disability for a number of years due to her mental illness.

Robert and Arlene Holmes have attended every day of their son’s 12-week trial, but the couple had not spoken publicly since prosecutors denied their request for a pre-trial plea-deal to spare his life.

While jurors found Holmes to be legally sane and eligible for the death penalty, his defense is trying to show that mental illness reduced his moral culpability, so much so that capital punishment would not due justice.

Death sentences must be unanimous, and the judge has explained to jurors that their decision will be highly personal.

So the defense has a two-fold task during this phase of Holmes’ sentencing: They must persuade at least one juror that Holmes was deeply mentally ill, even if legally sane; and they must show he deserves mercy.

On the first point, the defense brought back the same court-appointed psychiatrist who found Holmes was legally sane during the attack, this time to say that it was severe mental illness that drove Holmes to kill.

“Having psychosis doesn’t take away your capacity to make choices. It may increase your capacity to make bad choices,” Dr. Jeffrey Metzner testified Monday. “He acted on his delusions, and that’s a reflection of the severity of his mental illness.”

On the second, they showed images of him as a baby and a young boy, and introduced friends and family to show that even this killer was a good person once. Family videos of him playing with neighbors and team pictures from afterschool soccer leagues were put on the screen.

Lori Bidwell recalled Tuesday how “Jimmy” helped celebrate Halloween with them each year in California. She said he was quiet, smart and good-humored. The families went rafting together when Holmes was 21, and Bidwell recalled how he laughed and watched sea otters.

“When I first heard it on the news, I called because I thought this can’t be possible,” said Bidwell said.

Chris Holmes, 22, testified Monday that she realized during a jail visit that he was no longer the older brother who protected her as they were growing up.

“His whole demeanor seemed different,” she said. “His eyes, they were almost bugging out of his head.”

But she still loves him, she said, and will still visit, and probably send him a birthday card each year in prison. “It will be up to me when my parents pass away, so I do want to do that.”

Holmes’ lawyers say the once-promising neuroscience student should get life without parole rather than be executed for the 12 murders. He also injured 70 others at the crowded midnight movie in July 2012.

Holmes had no visible reaction to his sister, who sat just feet from the defense table where he has been tethered to the floor.

Robert Holmes is expected to take the stand again Wednesday.The shooter’s mother, Arlene Holmes, is also expected to testify on her son's behalf.

Contributing: The Associated Press