Bennett Family. James Holmes, one of the Colorado Serial Killers. Thirteen of the birds, with translucent wings, are on a center column and represent the twelve dead and the unborn child. Days earlier, on Jan. 4, 1984, someone slipped inside an Aurora home and used a hammer to beat a couple, who both survived. Police are searching for a suspect accused of shooting and killing four adults in the early hours of Sunday morning at a home in Aurora, Colorado . A Kane County jury Thursday convicted an Aurora man of murdering a man he suspected belonged to a rival gang. Now that the victims have received their fair share of justice, ID's People Magazine Investigates plans to retrace the steps back to 1984, when the Hammer Killer went on a 12-day-long murder spree. Police arrived and took Martinez, his grandfather and the family friend to the station to interview them. 57-yr old. Aurora's highly critical review did not . He had serious brain damage and an injury to his right eye from a shotgun blast to the head, and underwent three brain surgeries. [45][46][47], A police official said a Batman mask was found in the apartment. After the shooting on the 9700 block of East Mexico Avenue in Aurora early . Around 3:40 p.m. on September 25, APD officers found a male suffering from a gunshot wound and another man who appeared to have been stabbed at 1575 North . He remembers the sight of his co-worker, just a teenager, lying motionless on a blood-soaked floor. In 2021, Alex Ewing, aka the Hammer Killer, was found guilty of all charges involving the horrific 1984 killings of a couple from Aurora and their 7-year-old daughter. ChristopherMartinez, the suspect,is Estancias son andthe other two victims are his siblings, the affidavit said. 1993 Aurora, Colorado shooting Location 12293 East Iliff Avenue, Aurora, Colorado, US Date December 14, 1993 10:00 p.m. (MST) Attack type Mass shooting, armed robbery Weapon.25-caliber semi-automatic pistol Deaths 4 Injured 1 Perpetrator Nathan Dunlap Motive Revenge for being fired from Chuck E. Cheese's On December 14, 1993, four employees were shot and killed and a fifth employee was . Regardless, it's another victory in what has been a historic year for law enforcement closing decades old notorious cold cases. [81][clarification needed], Also on January 7, lawyers for both sides argued whether to admit four unspecified prescription bottles and immunization records investigators had seized from Holmes' apartment when they searched it in July 2012, considering doctor-patient confidentiality laws. "[84], Jury selection started on January 20, 2015. APD informed the family of its findings. Around 7 p.m., Martinez went to the home in Aurora with his grandfather, his uncle and a family friend. When Ewing was pinpointed as the perpetrator of the Bennett family and Smith attacks, he was already serving a 110-year sentence for the attempted murder of a Henderson-based couple. Two "very young" children and a woman who . He said he had a fight with his mom over his room being dirty but told them it was small and was not a big deal.. At the conclusion, Judge Sylvester decided there was enough relevant, admissible evidence to proceed to a trial. [77], On August 9, Holmes' attorneys said he is mentally ill and they needed more time to assess the nature of his illness. The crime spree known as the Colorado Hammer murders seemed to begin in Aurora in the early morning hours of January 4th, 1984. Martinezs uncle remained at the scene with Martinezs grandmother who was later questioned by police. [143], In the wake of the shooting, DC Comics delayed the release of Batman Incorporated #3,[144] which includes a scene in which a female Leviathan agent brandishes a handgun in a classroom full of children while disguised as a schoolteacher. [86][88] Jurors examined the evidence for thirty minutes. The affidavit said he told investigators he believed everyone was going to bed, grabbed some clothes and left to do laundry at their previous residence in Colorado Springs around 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. Martinez told investigators he did call his grandmother but only spoke to her about the fight he had with his mother. independent local journalism in Denver. The familys youngest daughter, 3-year-old Vanessa Bennett, was brutally attacked but survived. Ahead of the People Magazine Investigates' episode titled The Colorado Hammer Killer, which is scheduled to arrive this Monday, July 11, here are five appalling facts about Alex Ewing. [43] The apartment held more than 30 homemade grenades, wired to a control box in the kitchen and filled with at least 30USgal (110L) of gasoline. Eighteenth Judicial District Attorney John Kellner declined to comment on the upcoming trial. [8] There were about 400 people inside theater 9. But it doesnt seem like that long ago, because its so vivid in my mind.. They were living in Aurora and planned to make a life together there. [83] On April 1, the prosecution announced it had declined the offer. Dan Oates, Aurora's interim police chief, said three men and one woman were killed in the attack just after 2 a.m. Sunday. Victims & Timeline James Haubenschild: January 4, 1984 (wounded) Kimberly Haubenschild: January 4, 1984 (wounded) Donna Dixon (nee Holm), 28: January 4, 1984 (wounded) Patricia Louise Smith, 50: On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurs at a movie theater in Aurora, a Denver suburb, killing 12 peoplethe youngest a 6-year-old girland injuring at least 70 others. I think I hurt them. She also said he was hyperventilating at some point. Be the first one to comment on this story. A psychiatrist who spent hours talking with mass murderer James Holmes says that what led Holmes to open fire in a crowded Colorado movie theater was a one-of-a-kind vortex of his mental illness . Follow @dh_ssarkauskas. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. The following day, a woman died after an assault in the area of East Colfax Avenue and North Emporia Street around 6 a.m. At the time, the event had the largest number of victims (82) in one shooting in modern U.S. In Aurora, Colorado, Paula Sue Steinbach disappeared from her neighborhood around 8:00 p.m. on . [181] Theater room nine, where the actual shooting occurred, was combined with an adjoining room into a new XD theater room. [111] At the end of the hearing on August 26, Samour formally sentenced Holmes to 12 life imprisonment sentences without parole and a maximum of 3,318 additional years on attempted murder and explosives possession convictions. Thirty-seven-and-a-half years ago, Connie, now 87, said Wednesday. She was hospitalized in a coma with serious facial injuries that left her paralyzed on her left side, Connie said. [150] As of 2020, Cinemark Theatres has not released any photographs or video evidence. [134] Warner Bros. reportedly made a "substantial" donation to Colorado's Community First Foundation to benefit victims. Your chance of being a victim of murder in Aurora may be as high as 1 in 33,918 in the north neighborhoods, or as low as 1 in 45,558 in the . [100] The two murder convictions for each death were first-degree murder or attempted murder after deliberation, and first-degree murder or attempted murder with extreme indifference. Asked one of her surviving sons to move in with her. [137] Members of the Colorado Rockies baseball team also visited victims. [151], Soon after the shooting, police departments and cinemas across the United States and around the world increased security for fear of copycat incidents. [98], By July 10, the prosecution and the defense rested their cases. Holmes was arrested minutes later in his car outside the cinema. Ewing carried out four violent attacks in Denver over the course of a 12-day period in January 1984, three of which occurred in Aurora - assaults on survivors Donna Holm, Jim and Kim Haubenschild, and the Bennetts. She was rendered a paraplegic. He told her that he went upstairs and told Estancia and Marisol what he had done and they didnt believe him. AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) Update 7:16 p.m. Police said 39-year-old Nicholas Walker, who was wanted on attempted second-degree murder, was arrested without incident. [171], A grassroots community center, Aurora Strong Resilience Center, was established by community leaders, elected officials, and mental health professionals, as a response to the shooting. Because of his tactical clothing, Holmes was at first mistaken for another police officer. [citation needed], On January 2, 2013, prosecutors and defense attorneys in the case returned to court in advance of the preliminary hearing, the public's first officially sanctioned look at the evidence, due to the gag order. Alex Ewing is currently behind bars, serving four lifetimes in prison for crimes he committed nearly four decades ago. [86], The trial started on April 27, 2015. She was pushed or fell to the bedroom floor, and died there. [7] Police said that Holmes bought a ticket, entered the theater, and sat in the front row. [165], Judge R. Brooke Jackson stated that for theaters today, "One might reasonably believe that a mass shooting incident in a theater was likely enough (that is, not just a possibility) to be a foreseeable next step in the history of such acts by deranged individuals". Director Christopher Nolan's reaction to the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado. The jury found Ewing guilty on . Aurora mother pays for son's cellphone bill more than a year after his death . Debra was attacked in bed. . In the first 38 days of 2023, we've seen 46 officers shot (+109% from 2020 YTD). [184], Bottom left: Map of Colorado with Aurora marked, James Holmes (mass murderer) Detention and pretrial court appearances, James Holmes (mass murderer) Verdict and sentencing, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, List of rampage killers in the United States, "Aurora, Colo theater shooting timeline, facts", "James Holmes appears in court being accused of killing 12 people in Aurora cinema shooting", "Officials release complete list of injured victims in Aurora massacre", "Colo. shooting DA says two evaluations found Holmes sane", "Theater shooter Holmes gets 12 life sentences, plus 3,318 years", "12 shot dead, 58 wounded in Aurora movie theater during Batman premier", "Family identifies 27-year-old victim of Aurora theater shooting", "James Holmes: Read timeline of his actions before and after Aurora theater shooting", "Long awaited trial begins for Aurora movie theater shooting defendant", "Gunman turns 'Batman' screening into real-life 'horror film', "Aurora shooting suspect left apartment "booby trapped," music blaring", "Aurora theater shooting trial adjourns for day", "Questions, but few answers, in Colorado shooting; 12 dead, dozens hurt", "Colorado theater shooting: 12 shot dead during The Dark Knight Rises screening", "Colo. theater trial adjourns for day after emotional 911 call", "Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates on Movie Shooting", "Rifle failure that stopped yet more batman carnage", "Colorado shooting spree could have been worse; shooter's gun jammed, official says", "Police: Suspect wore body armor, used assault rifle, shotgun, Glock handgun in theater attack", "Batman premiere gunman looked like 'assassin ready for war', "Aurora witnesses describe shooter's entrance, chaos", Aurora police testify in James Holmes' trial: 240 ballistic impacts found after theater shooting, "Police say Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes had 2 pistols, assault rifle, shotgun", "Sources: Shooter Took Prescription Drug Before Attack", "Aurora police sergeant describes lifesaving theater-shooting decision", "Colorado police officer says movie theater gunman was 'very calm', "New details emerge in hearing for Colorado theater shooting suspect", "Shooting suspect in court with orange-red hair", "Aurora 'Dark Knight' Suspect James Holmes Says He 'Was the Joker': Cops", "James Holmes claimed to be the Joker, NYPD Commish says", "James Holmes makes court appearance in Colorado theater shooting", "The Joker Didn't Inspire the Aurora Shooter, but the Rumor Won't Go Away", "Gun's magazine shaped the pace of Colorado theater massacre", "On video, theater gunman says killings got him 'value units', "Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes jailed in solitary: 'All the inmates were talking about killing him', "Aurora shooting: 12 dead as gunman opens fire at movie theater: as it happened", "Colo. shooting suspect James Holmes' apartment booby trapped, police say", "Slideshow: Aurora theater shooting scene, suspect's booby-trapped apartment", "Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: Suspect Bought 4 Guns, 6,000 Rounds of Ammunition in Past 60 Days", "Police at Home of Colorado Suspect Disarm Major Threats", "Official: Trap in Colorado suspect's home had 30 homemade grenades, gasoline", "Detonation and fire possible at Colo. apartment", "Massacre suspect's neighbor: 'I'm counting my lucky stars', "Loud Music Used To Lure People to Booby-Trapped Apt", "Theater massacre suspect appears in Colorado courtroom", "Movie massacre suspect mum; Batman mask found", "Photos: Residents allowed back into building where alleged shooter lived", "Colorado Movie Theater Shooting: 70 Victims the Largest Mass Shooting", "Colorado Massacre Could Have Been Worse", "Obama offers condolences, community grieves in vigil for DKR shooting victims", "50 dead, Islamic terrorism tie eyed in Orlando gay bar shooting", "Should the Colorado Theater Shooting Spur More Gun Control? Triple-homicide suspect accused of killing mother, siblings. [90], On May 26, details of Holmes' notebook, reportedly found in a university mail room addressed to his psychiatrist Lynne Fenton, were entered into evidence at the trial for the first time. 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Colorado residents are once again shocked and heartbroken and struggling to understand why mass shootings keep happening in their state. [149] Cinemark closed the entire Century Aurora 16 multiplex in the wake of the shooting but reopened January 17, 2013, with a 40-minute ceremony led by Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, followed by a showing of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. OJ Simpson / The Glove Didn't Fit Chapter 17: 14 . She was found bludgeoned with a hammer, with about 17 wounds to the head. Joseph Castorena, 21, went on the run after he allegedly fatally shot four people in an Aurora home on Oct. 30, with his brother and cousin now facing charges of accessory to murder after the fact . [139], Warner Bros. instructed cinemas to stop screening a trailer for the film Gangster Squad, which preceded The Dark Knight Rises screenings in some cities (though not in Aurora),[140] because it contained a scene involving the main characters shooting at a movie theater audience with machine guns. Aurora, Colorado Nathan Dunlap visits his former place of employment, shoots 5 former co-workers killing 4, and robs the store of $1,500. i wonder on Instagram: "I never did trust that smile, it sucks. [31][32] Three days later, at his first court appearance in Centennial, Colorado, Holmes's hair appeared reddish-orange. Earlier this year, he was found guilty of first-degree murder of Patricia. [78] Prosecutors alleged on August 24, 2012, that Holmes told a classmate he wanted to kill people four months before the shooting. [13] Police evacuated five buildings surrounding his Aurora residence, which was about 5mi (8km) north of the cinema. In 2001, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation was able to establish a DNA profile from semen collected from the carpet and comforter in the Bennett sisters bedroom. [178], In 2015, a campaign titled "No Notoriety" was started by the parents of Alexander Teves, who died in the shooting. According to press reports, he seemed dazed and largely unaware of his surroundings. She still struggles to speak about the details of the attack, and chokes up when she thinks of the assault and murder of Melissa, whom she said was a sweet little girl. Debra was a family-focused woman who enjoyed spending time with her aunts in Lakewood, Connie said. Link Copied! Those pieces of evidence would turn out to hold the key to an arrest but not until years later, when DNA technology improved. Gun sales increased in Colorado, and political debates were generated about gun control in the United States. Arapahoe County district attorney George Brauchler said: "It's my determination and my intention that in this case for James Eagan Holmes justice is death. THOSE with their eyes to the skies on Sunday night (February 26) may have caught a very rare sighting of the northern lights. The discovery was made once Nevada prison authorities began collecting convicts' DNA (Ewing was already incarcerated at the time) and uploading it to the CODIS national database of the FBI. In an interview on CNN, Teves' parents said they and the relatives of other victims believe the mass media coverage of Holmes' name and photo may inspire others to commit mass shootings for notoriety. [106] The appeal for clemency was rejected on August 3 under the basis that mitigating factors such as mental illness did not outweigh aggravating factors such as the number of casualties in the massacre. Police say DNA evidence links Alex Ewing to the 1984 murders of three members of Bruce and Debra Bennett and their 7-year-old daughter Melissa, left. They collected a piece of carpet from under Melissas body, and a comforter on the girls bed. [73][74][75], On July 30, Colorado prosecutors filed formal charges against Holmes, including 24 counts of first-degree murder, 116 counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of illegal possession of explosives. Fearing copycat crimes, movie theaters showing the same film across the US increased their security. By the time the Bennetts were killed days later, authorities believed one attacker was responsible for the spree, and they went to great lengths to secure evidence in the killings. [71], On November 16, 2012, the Aurora Victim Relief Fund announced that each family of the dead would receive $220,000. There is nothing that can change anything. Police said that Holmes bought a ticket, entered the theater, and sat in the front row. On August 26, Holmes was given 12 life sentences, one for every person he killed; he also received 3,318 years for the attempted murders of those he wounded and for rigging his apartment with explosives. He also fired a Smith & Wesson M&P15[19] semi-automatic rifle with a 100-round drum magazine, which eventually malfunctioned. and help keep the future of Westword, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. Vanessa was found in bed, clinging to life beside a blood-soaked teddy bear. Investigators allege Ewing entered the home, perhaps through an open garage door, and killed Bruce, who he encountered just outside the master bedroom, perhaps because Bruce had gotten up to investigate a noise, or to chase Ewing out of the bedroom. [16], Holmes reportedly threw one canister towards the left[17] side of the theatre, emitting a gas or smoke, that partially obscured the audience members' vision, made their throats and skin itch, and caused eye irritation. The grizzly site was at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012. . [170] This type of lawsuit had been anticipated in an August 2012 article co-authored by bioethicist Arthur Caplan which discussed the applicability of the landmark California Supreme Court decision in Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California (1976) to the facts of the Aurora shooting. Aurora James, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gemma Chan, and Prabal Gurung (L-R) attend The 2021 Met Gala in New York Credit: Kevin Mazure/Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the firebrand left-wing . Around 1 p.m. on 6/14/2010, almost one mile east of Third Bridge, two men were driving past the intersection of County Road 50 and 53 (Kiowa-Bennett Road). Then, just as the community was reeling from this attack, 50-year-old Patricia Smith became a murder victim at her Lakewood, Colorado, home on January 10, 1984. [138] Members of the Denver Broncos also called or visited individuals at the hospitals. "[158], Three victims sued Cinemark Theatres in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on September 21, 2012, for the company's alleged negligence in failing to provide adequate safety and security measures. Authorities are searching for a suspect in an overnight shooting that left four people dead at a home in Aurora. The life sentences will be served consecutively. As it turns out, Ewing was imprisoned just months after the killings, after he beat a couple nearly to death with an ax handle in Nevada in August 1984 and was sentenced to 40 years in prison for attempted murder. For Connie, who expects to testify about discovering her sons body, the trial offers a chance to find some peace after a lifetime of struggling with the fallout from the killings. [35] The officers found several firearms in the theater and inside the shooter's car, including another Glock 22 handgun. James, a young man not even twenty-five years old yet, had married his wife Kim in August of 1982. [87], On May 7, an FBI agent displayed pieces of evidence at the trial, including Holmes' body armor, an arsenal of weapons, unfired ammunition, and a helmet with strands of his dyed orange hair. Prosecutors dropped their request for access to the notebook on September 20, 2012. A 61-year-old man learned this week he'll die behind prison bars after being sentenced to three consecutive life sentences for the 1984 murders of a Colorado couple and their 7-year-old daughter . [79], A judge ruled on August 30 that a notebook written by Holmes, in which he allegedly described a violent attack, was covered by physicianpatient privilege because it was addressed to his psychiatrist. [28], At about 12:45a.m., police officer Jason Oviatt apprehended Holmes[11][29] behind the cinema, next to his car, without resistance. (STORY: BREAKING: 2/2 Alex Christopher Ewing faces multiple charges in the January 1984 murders of Patricia Louise Smith in Lakewood and Bruce, Debra and Melissa Bennett in Aurora. Fortunately, they survived the attack. Violent crimes in Aurora, including homicides, non-fatal shootings, aggravated assault, sex assaults and robberies, increased by nearly 16 percent from 2021, based on police data. [67][68][69], The Community First Foundation collected more than $5 million for a fund for victims and their families. Colorado, a state where open carry is legal, has suffered through some of the most deadly mass shootings in American history, including the 1999 Columbine shooting and the Aurora theater attack in . [26], When apprehended, Holmes told the police that he had booby-trapped his apartment with explosive devices. ", "Aurora heroes: Three who gave their lives", "Colorado shooting survivor tells how Crystal Lake boyfriend John Larimer shielded her before he died", "A look at the Lives of Colorado shooting victims", "People of the State of Colorado v. James Eagan Holmes", "Why Jessica Ghawi Wrote Under The Name Redfield: Moving Stories From The Shooting Victim's Colleagues", "Remembering aspiring sports journalist a year after Aurora shooting", "Jessica Ghawi: Victim of Colorado theatre shooting was also at Eaton Centre shooting", "Theater Shooting Victims Are 4 Months Old To Adults", "Hospital bills forgiven for Colorado shooting victims", "Woman who lost everything caps prosecution in Holmes trial", "Comedy helps pull Caleb Medley through tragedy of Aurora shootings", "Caleb Medley Recovery: Last Aurora Shooting Victim Leaves Colo. Hospital", "James Holmes guilty of murder in Colorado theater massacre; jury to weigh death penalty", "Shooting Victims Gain Veto Power in Donation Distribution", "Aurora movie theater shooting victims to respond to surveys", "Theater shooting: Payments from Aurora victim fund set, families of the dead get $220,000", James Holmes Mugshot: Aurora Shooting Suspect's Booking Picture Released" (PHOTO), Alex Brandon (AP), "Again appearing dazed in court, Holmes charged| Prosecutors and defense attorneys spar over whether a notebook that he reportedly sent to a psychiatrist is privileged information", "Colo.