Colorado theater shooter's sister says his eyes changed
US News
Colorado theater shooter’s sister says his eyes changed
When the younger sister of Colorado theater shooter James Holmes visited him in jail nearly two years after the attack, his eyes bulged from his head and he spoke in short, stilted phrases — a vast difference from the loving brother who protected her while they were growing up, she testified Monday. Chris Holmes, 22, became the first in her family to testify at her older brother’s death penalty trial Monday, saying in an effort to spare his life that she did not believe her brother was mentally ill growing up, but she also did not know how to recognize the signs. “His whole demeanor seemed different,” she said, fighting tears as she described the May 2014 jail visit.
There was a time when we were happy.
Chris Holmes
Jurors are considering whether James Holmes should serve life in prison without parole or be executed for killing 12 people and injuring 70 others in a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colo., on July 20, 2012. Defense attorneys say he should get a life term because he is severely mentally ill. Jurors saw the siblings smiling together in family vacation photos as Chris Holmes described their unremarkable childhood. There were photos of them riding bikes as kids and wearing Santa hats at Christmas time, smiling.
