Colorado theater shooting gunman James Holmes was described as “sweet” and “shy” by those who knew him in childhood and his teen years according to testimony Friday.
Several California residents traveled to Denver to testify on behalf of Holmes in the penalty phase of the trial.
When a juror’s illness prompted Judge Carlos A. Samour, Jr. to excuse the panel, he ordered the testimony of those who had traveled from out of state be recorded for playback.
The James Holmes they described seemed far different than the orange-haired man who strapped on body armor and extra ammunition before opening fire inside a crowded midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises,” on July 20, 2012.
Twelve people died and 70 were injured in the rampage. Jurors have convicted Holmes of first degree murder and are now hearing arguments on whether Holmes should be sentenced to death or life in prison.
Arlene and Bob Holmes: 'Wonderful Parents'
Holmes grew up in a “real community neighborhood” where residents bonded and “lived their lives through their kids,” testified former neighbor Martin Barrett.
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He described a friendly suburban neighborhood in Oak Hills, about 20 minutes north of Monterey with barbeques, street hockey, baseball and basketball games. He said Holmes played among a group of more than a dozen boys all near the same age.
Holmes, or “Jimmy”, was a sweet gentleman who would never get involved in altercations, Barrett testified.
“He would always stand back and just observe and hope it didn’t grow any bigger than what it was,” Barrett said.
He added that he never saw a mean streak in the boy and that overall, Holmes seemed happy.
Joseph Barrett was about 10 when he met the defendant. He played with Holmes daily and attended track practice with him. "He was great to be around, always encouraging," he said.
Barrett and his wife also testified separately that the Holmes were "wonderful parents."
Jimmy 'Kind of Flew Under the Radar'
The Holmes family moved from the neighborhood in May 2000 to Rancho Penasquitos, northeast of downtown San Diego.
Ina Pirie Maston has known the Holmes family for more than 10 years through the Penasquitos Lutheran Church.
She and Holmes’ mother, Arlene, carpooled off and on for three years. She testified the two women would often talk about their children.
“They both were very involved in their kids’ lives,” she said of Arlene and Bob Holmes adding that the problems facing the family didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.
She met James Holmes when he was in his teens. Maston recalled he was a “shy, reserved young man but not uncomfortable in a social setting.”
Maston, who is still friends of Holmes' parents, testified, “We wanted to make sure everybody understood how we support the family as individuals and as a community.”
Patrick Silva of San Jose went to Westview High School with Holmes and competed alongside him on the JV soccer team.
“I remember a very funny, very sweet, quiet kid who kind of flew under the radar, didn’t cause a lot of trouble at all,” Silva testified in court.
He also said he respected Holmes' athletic ability.
Mental Illness a Key to Next Phase
The jurors who convicted Holmes of murder unanimously decided Thursday they can consider the death penalty.
They said capital punishment is justified because Holmes murdered a large number of victims; caused a grave risk of death to others; committed murder in a heinous, cruel or depraved manner; and laid in wait or ambush.
The defense will now lead the next phase, trying to show that his mental illness and other "mitigating factors" make it wrong to execute him in any case.
Then, jurors will then deliberate for a second time, deciding whether the extent of his mental problems outweighs the lifelong suffering Holmes caused.
If so, the trial would end there, with a life sentence instead of the death penalty.
If not, the sentencing will move into a third and final phase, in which victims and their relatives would describe the impacts of Holmes' crimes.
