Alleged shooter's mom: Reports she knew son was troubled were wrong

[El Supremo]

Source: Denver Post

James Holmes' mug shot (Photo provided by Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office)


SAN DIEGO — A criminal defense attorney hired by the family of accused gunman James Eagan Holmes says his mother was portrayed inaccurately by national media reports that implied she knew that her son was troubled.

Lawyer Lisa Damiani said her client Arlene Holmes was awakened about 5:45 a.m. PST Friday by ABC News. Damiani she was asked if she was Arlene Holmes, and if her son was James Holmes. Reading a statement from Arlene, Damiani said "I said 'Yes, you have the right person.' But I was talking about myself."

Speaking in front of the high-rise building that houses her office in downtown San Diego, Damiani declined to say why the family had hired her.

On Monday morning, two attorneys from the state public defender's office were appointed to defend James Holmes, 24, against allegations that he killed 12 people and wounded 58 others in an Aurora movie theater early Friday morning. An Arapahoe County judge has sealed records relating to the case, including financial records showing his need for a public defender.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/theatershooting/ci_21139349/alleged-shooters-mom-reports-she-knew-son-was

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What is the father doing?

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. Crying, I imagine. n/t

[1StrongBlackMan]

2. What's wrong with this picture ...?

Mom, Arlene Holmes, hires a criminal defense attorney to protect her good name; accused shooter, James Holmes, on trial for (possibly) his life, gets a public defender.

[steve2470]

3. excellent point nt

[caseymoz]

6. Too early to tell.

I'm supposing it takes a while to choose and hire a defense attorney for a trial in a different state, and it's almost impossible to do it over the weekend. She could be trying to scrape together the retainer to do it. The public defenders might be for arraignment only. We don't know yet.

Moreover, if her words were distorted, it's something she would want to set straight immediately. Like most people after such a trauma, she's probably not ready to confront the press herself, hence, hiring the lawyer for that purpose and to answer whatever inquiry the police have about it.

[pscot]

38. Not to mention forestalling any public spirited citizens

who might get the urge to take it out on her.

[TouchOfGray]

9. I'd lawyer up too if it was one of my kids.

n/t

[HooptieWagon]

22. Very true.

Although there is only the remotest of possibilty the parents are responsible for the actions of their adult son, its a safe assumption that following the criminal trial there will be a rash of civil suits filed against everyone with even the remotest connection to the incident.

[obamanut2012]

15. It could just be an attorney she knows

I'm friends with attorneys.

Why read anything into it?

I also don't think they should become destitute because their son is a murderer. I also bet Holmes will get a pro bono anti DP attorney like Giffords' shooter.

[LisaL]

20. Since his mother isn't accused of anything criminal, she can not get a public defender.

Whereas her son is eligible.

[yellerpup]

41. Holmes is an adult

and they are not obliged to pay for his defense. They would probably lose everything they own for a lost cause. I suspect the attorney was engaged to get the mother's out of context quote corrected.

[CJCRANE]

4. Another case of "context matters".

It helps if you know the sentence before.

[LiberalFighter]

28. Too much crap from the media without any reasonable reporting.

[kiranon]

37. Agree completely. Much easier to misinterpret the mom's comment

than to show the question it was in response to. The constant need for a story - any story takes precedence over getting the facts straight. It will take time before anything about the shooter and his family is known. My guess is a mental illness such as schizophrenia that often manifests in its full blown state in the early twenties. I have know families whose children were so affected. Parenting was fine, kid was fine and often quite intelligent and then all changed as the brain changed to its adult manifestation.

[loyalsister]

47. Exactly

The press will enjoy mangling an misinterpreting every thing she say. This attorney seems to be functioning as press secretary and a legal protector of the family that will be mercilessly harassed.

[Live and Learn]

5. What is the father doing?? What does that mean?

I imagine they are both devastated. What is the need to pick on the family?

The rush to judgement is ridiculous. Her statement should never have been taken as an acknowlegement of anything other than they had reached the right person. Even if they would have known he had problems there would have been little they could do about it.

[TouchOfGray]

7. Another fine job by ABC "news"

Holmes's mother suggests ABC News mischaracterized her statement

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/07/holmes-mother-suggests-abc-news-mischaracterized-her-129835.html

[Kalidurga]

26. Now why does this seem like familiar territory...

ABC is quickly losing whatever credibility they had.

[pocoloco]

45. Flash and Trash

Ever since Roone Arledge switched from sports to news, years ago.

[klook]

8. What's the father doing?

Probably trying to figure out how to keep on living. That's how I'd feel if my son did this.

The family probably hired a lawyer to help keep the press at bay. Good luck with that.

[1KansasDem]

10. It does appear that ABC

rushed a couple of reports to the air, when an editor should have asked a few questions first.

[El Supremo]

11. The father, Robert Holmes, went to Colorado on Friday. I haven't heard sqat about him since.

I don't think he has been allowed to see his son. But the silence about the family has been deafening until now.

[DallasNE]

12. I Heard The Stuff He Bought

Cost him about $6,000. If true, where did he get that kind of money. I don't know any college students with that kind of pocket change.

[totodeinhere]

14. You raise an interesting question.

I have not heard any speculation about a possible accomplice, but you are right in asking where did he get that money. Did someone help him with the finances?

[frylock]

17. where did he get that kind of money? mastercard or visa i would imagine.

[Lurks Often]

19. Probably a credit card

it's unlikely he expected to be a in position to pay the credit card bill off anyway.

[sense]

24. My son attends

college with many children of the 1% that have access to large amounts money at all times. He even has a bit of money himself, as he works and studies and is very frugal. We pay his tuition, room and board. He doesn't have a credit card, but is the only student he knows who doesn't.

[HooptieWagon]

32. Credit card.

Credit card companies are rather free with giving cards to students. They'll run up a high balance, pay exorbinant interest, and finally get help from mom and dad. Big business for the CC compnies.

[Serve The Servants]

44. I heard on the CBS news tonight the cost was closer to $14,000 NT

[DallasNE]

46. Thanks

I saw a blog that said $15,000 but it wasn't sourced. I thought that was high and when I saw the $6,000 estimate it seemed more reasonable so I went with the conservative number. (Didn't know at the time how extensive the apartment was bobby trapped). The point is the same. Perhaps a credit card issuer will be on the hook but can college students get that high of a credit limit? I believe he was on a scholarship that paid for school and a housing allowance. Doesn't mean he couldn't have used multiple credit card though and made minimum payments for a couple of months -- and that assumes he hadn't already run up his credit card debt. I'm sure authorities are already looking into his finances so we may learn this in short order.

[jaysunb]

13. I'm a father...

and Iwould be devastated, not only for my son, but those he hurt or killed.

I personally feel just as bad for the Holmes family as I do the victims and their families.

[babydollhead]

16. Anybody see "We Need to Talk about Kevin "?

It was a chilling peak into the mind of the mother of a kid who killed a bunch a other kids as his high school

[HangOnKids]

23. Yes!

As soon as I heard about this mass killing, I kept thinking of that movie.

[obamanut2012]

34. Yes! I thought of that movie too

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

48. Haven't seen that one....

....but heard about it and now that you mention it, I'm very interested. Thanks for that.

[babydollhead]

49. the book is better. in a disturbing way. n/t

[shanti]

18. damn, he's got some crazy eyes

what about her original "quote" that she "knew it was about her son"? is that what they're referring to?

[LisaL]

21. That is not a quote.

She never said anything like that.

[HooptieWagon]

25. She said "you have the right person"

There was always the question of whether she was referring to her son or herself.

[LisaL]

27. Herself, meaning she was the mother of James Holmes.

[HooptieWagon]

31. Correct.

But when the media first reported the quote, there were questions over who she was referring to. Bad reporting. Thats why her attorney felt the need to clarify.

[shanti]

42. ok, gotcha

[Spitfire of ATJ]

29. "What is the father doing?"

I guess the media figured since he was a software engineer it meant he was off the hook,...or offline....

[arcane1]

30. Who cares what the father is doing?

One would think he is suffering enough as it is.

[slackmaster]

33. That photo could have come from an episode of Dragnet

[longship]

36. Dumm-Dee-Dum--Dum!

Yes. But this whole thing is a tragedy, anyway you look at it. I don't think I'd be saying, "Just the facts, Ma'am," to this woman. That would be a bit insensitive and crass.

[slackmaster]

40. After making the transition from black and white to color, a lot of 1960s TV shows went overboard...

...in exploiting the new dimension of chroma.

Here is Blue Boy from an early color Dragnet anti-drug episode:

[TouchOfGray]

35. FoxRadio news reported that the father is in Colorado

Last edited Mon Jul 23, 2012, 08:34 PM - Edit history (1)

and was in the court room today.

Edit update: Now they say it was the father of one of the victims not the Joker's.

[DeSwiss]

39. We've all seen this movie before.....

[4th law of robotics]

43. But if he'd only been subject to a psych eval . . .