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Colorado Shooter James Holmes family knew he had issues

By Chellie Cervone - Posted: Jul 22, 2012 at 11:16 pm

Colorado Shooter James Holmes family knew he had issues.

It was made painfully obvious when his mother, Arlene Holmes, was contacted by ABC news. She said that her her son was likely the culprit, saying, “You have the right person”. She then added, “I need to call the police… I need to fly out to Colorado”.

Colorado Shooters Mom knew he was troubled

How could she not after making that statement! Think about it. If you were contacted and asked about your child being a suspect in a mass shooting, most people would naturally reply, “not my child” or “I don’t believe it” or “You’ve made a mistake”.

To answer with, “You have the right person” indicates that Colorado Shooter James Holmes family knew he had issues.

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Colorado shooters mother says phone call was misconstrued

(The suspects Mom., Arlene Holmes, is now claiming, via her lawyer, that her comments were taken out of context. She is saying that the ,’ You have the right person” comment was said when she was identifying herself. Still seems odd. If one answers the phone, I could someone saying that (maybe) but to then follow it up with the next sentence just doesn’t seem quite right.)

In any case, it is apparent that Homes had issues. What were they?

He grew up in an affluent surroundings, was educated and many who knew him claim they did not see the warning signs that he would become a mass murderer. So what happened to the 24 year old?

Profilers will tell you that whatever went wrong with James Holmes, it didn’t happen overnight. And although there were not outward indicators to many, or so they claim, there was still something very significant in his behavior for his own mother to say, “You have the right person”. It’s hard to swallow the, “he was nice” routine.

So what was it? Drugs? Some say that Holmes was seen smoking marijuana outside his apartment.

Pornography? He allegedly put up a profile on Adult Friend Finder not too long before his murderous spree. In the photo, that TMZ obtained, he asks, “Will you visit me in Prison”.

John Holmes Profile on adult website(Photo source: TMZ)

The photo appears to be Holmes, complete with his red hair – the same color his hair was painted when he was arrested.

When this author tried to obtain it from the website, his profile had already been removed. A woman complained to the site because she was matched with him. Adult Friend Finder has allegedly traced the profile to someone in Aurora, CO.

Even if Holmes dabbled or was heavily into drugs and porn as some people are, the majority do not become mass murderers.

School troubles? We hear that he could not find a job, even with his advanced education, so he enrolled in grad school for his Phd and was in the process of dropping out. So what? Many other Americans can’t find a job either!

He started stockpiling guns and ammo two months ago. His gun club membership was rejected and the club’s owner described his behavior as “bizarre”. And he didn’t even really know him! So how are all the signs so cleverly hidden from people that do know him.

We know his family is traumatized but many people are wondering why they are not speaking out. What do they know?

It’s important to know what triggered him. His mother, a registered nurse, should understand this. That will not only help our country heal, it will also help mental health professionals update their profiles so that we can work toward preventing this absolutely senseless violence.

What did his family notice about him? Was he into weapons prior to the shooting? Did he have “weird” fantasies about killing others. Did he have a Batman fetish? His family appears to know more than they are sharing!

And it does start with his family. If Colorado Shooter James Holmes family knew he had issues, and all indicators point toward the fact that they do, what steps were taken to get him help or to commit him?

Police chief: Aurora shooter had ‘way too many guns’(bazaardaily.com)
Colorado Shooter Was Camp Counselor for Jewish Big Brothers and Sisters(theuglytruth.wordpress.com)

Kaylene
I take offense to your attack on the family. Obviously, she knew something was wrong with her son, and I’m sure she feels terrible about what happened, but she did not do this. Plenty of murderers have come from good homes where the parents, friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, had no idea.
His family DID ignore some type of disturbing behavior, but they are not the first parents to try not to interfere too much. I am sure they are blaming themselves enough, guilt rarely makes since, they don’t need media pointing fingers at them.
- Miz.Chellie
  Hi Kaylene It is not my intention to offend or to attack the family – sorry about that. And you are right about children coming from great homes and turning out not so great. It happens more than we like to admit and the parents are not to blame.
  My point though is that in this specific case there had to be signs. You pretty much agree with that too. Had to be because I do not feel that any mother receiving a call like that would so quickly say, “You have the right person” unless there were things in the past. Even the gun club, who didn’t know him described him as bizarre and would not accept him as a member.
  His parents are grieving too – I am sure of that but I do 100% believe that in light of this terrible, terrible tragedy that they need to speak and speak truthfully about it, put out whatever skeletons there may be because it will help others, whether it is families going through similar issues with their children and even mental health professionals so that they can better recognize signs and try to take some action to prevent these types of awful tragedies.
  By them speaking about what they saw – AND IGNORED – obviously or hopefully never thinking it would turn out this way, their insight will be invaluable.
  Thanks for sharing your views.
Betsy
Isnt his name James not John?
- Miz.Chellie
  Hi Betsey. Sure is – all fixed. I think my mind was unconsciously thinking of the porn star as I was typing. I caught it earlier and corrected but it might take a day to index. Thank you though for letting me know. Much appreciated!
David LeVack
The problem is you can’t have someone committed for being strange and bizarre, they have to take action and make obvious threats. That’s the hole in our health care system.
- Miz.Chellie
  That’s true David. We’d all be locked up! But seriously, there are major flaws that need to be addressed in our health care system. As Madi mentioned, once you are over 18 years of age, the parents lose a large portion of their control.
Madi
Once a child is over 18 in the USA the parents are not allowed to “have the child committed”. It wasn’t always that way but the laws are now made to protect all ‘adults’ from being wrongfully committed, which anyone is considered to be over age 18 in this country. I know, because one of my children suffered a manic episode, which turned into full blown psychosis, around the age of 19. It happens a LOT, although I had never really heard much about it until it happened to my otherwise extremely healthy child.
I spent two entire months researching psychosis in young adults, what can cause it, and how it can be cured. I spent numerous hours speaking with neuro-scientists and neuro-psychologists, including some top Phd’s at Yale and other prestigious hospitals across the country. I have many files of information on what happens, and after witnessing it all myself first hand, my hear goes out to this guy and both of his parents, if this indeed is what happened to him.
Our laws need to be looked at, because situations like this will continue to happen unless parents are allowed to at least fore their adult child to be evaluated at a psychiatric facility. If his parents had some idea that he was not right in his mind, it was probably horrifying to them, as it was to me when I witnessed it, and they probably had no idea what to do or who to turn to.
I hope something good comes out of this horrific tragedy…all those beautiful lives senselessly lost…all the suffering, grieving families…it is a horrible amount of pain and suffering that could have been prevented if we had different laws, and just locking him away or putting him to death won’t do anything to solve this situation or prevent it from happening in the future.
People need to look at the big picture, and that includes realizing that anyone that would do all of the things he did was and is mentally ill, which means we need to have some compassion and understanding for all involved, and realize that if this can happen to the mind of James Holmes, it can happen to someone we love or know as well.
- Miz.Chellie
  Hi Madi – Thanks for sharing your personal experience. Our best thoughts to you and your daughter.
  It is downright scary to hear how suddenly an episode can come on in seemingly normal individual.
  In James Homes’ case, it does seem that his mother, and perhaps other family members, suspected something wasn’t right because she knew right away that the shooter was very likely her son. Most parents, I believe, would react with disbelief at the though that their offspring could be responsible for such a horror. You said your own daughter was extremely healthy until the episode she had.
  With that in mind, if you had received a call that a horrible thing happened involving your child (before her episode) would you have been inclined to say, “It can’t be” or “You have the right person”? I’d bet that most parents with a child that appears trouble free would have a hard time believing it and would reply with the former rather than the latter statement. Unless of course there were other signs.
  Perhaps as you speculate, they might not have known what action to take. Maybe they will decide to break their silence, perhaps not until after the trial, and we can all find out what signs they saw.
  In light of the senseless tragedy, I am sure it is hard for many to feel compassion for the shooter who destroyed so many lives. I for one, hope he is mentally ill and just not plain evil.
  I too hope that something good can cone from this. Whether it be increased awareness, prevention, a change in laws – – something!
  Thanks again for sharing your personal experience and expert information.
mimi
Why was his father ‘escorted’ from the home while his mother remained? What’s his dad’s importance when the mother was the one who admitted perhaps she was ‘needed’ in colorado by police.?
- Miz.Chellie
  I thought the same exact thing. I am sure she was very upset but still – –
Phyllis Ida Concordia
Really? Remember to believe none of what you hear and half of what you see… What this mother said was not how the media portrayed it. Yes, there certainly seems to be a lot of big changes in the life of this “suspect”. The mother was confirming identity… She was in no way acknowledging that this call was expected. Her son was evidentially isolating himself. The general public has no idea about the relationship between family members. Not everyone lives close to their family and not everyone keeps in touch with theirs… This may be hard to fathom for some… But true. He may not have been close anyone – unthinkable – but so true. The media sways the majority. The media, at the point, the information about his mother’s response was released, knew nothing. The media created this dramatic speculation to be presented as fact – out of context. This is exactly what sells one news story or news service over another… Exclusive information. Even if the facts are bent up a bit, unfortunately. The Aurora Colorado law enforcement teams and the FBI worked well on this as to not release even the most seemingly trivial information… They did great! They have been trying their best not to compromise anything. Because of this, the media is left to speculate and report creatively in a period where there simply is no real news. Again, believe none of what you hear and half of what you see… Let the truth come out as it is able to be released. Don’t jump to the conclusions the media prompts you to just because they want the first report.
- Miz.Chellie
  Phyllis thanks for writing in.
  I know that there have been instances when the media appears to “twist” things and take quotes out of context. Later on, we hear from the person who says two quotes were mixed up and out of context. Overall, I think the media strives to act responsibly with accurate reporting.
  Yes, Las Vegas World News and countless others have no reason to doubt ABC when they quoted Arlene Holmes, his mother, saying, “You have the right person”, and then added, “I need to call the police… I need to fly out to Colorado”.
  You sound like you might know the family so if you know of the conversation going down differently, we are all ears.
  I guess what many what to know is what led to James Holmes committing such a heinous, vicious, senseless act. He’s been stockpiling weapons for months and buying protective gear so it seems rather unlikely, if not impossible, that on the spur of the moment, he simply snapped.
  And yes, that coupled with the fact of what his mother reportedly said to police does make the masses wonder just exactly what she or others close to him knew.
  It’s more than just a curiosity, we need to be better able to recognize signs of people that are troubled and in the planning stages of a massacre so that we as a nation can try to prevent it.
  I think it’s the duty of his family to speak out and help us to understand and prevent future massacres by detailing any signs that may have observed.
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Annalise
You make a lot of assumptions in your post and subsequent comments. The family’s attorney recently read a statement in regards to ABC’s misrepresentation of what Arlene Holmes stated when contacted by one of their reporters. She was asked if she was Arlene Holmes, mother of James Holmes to which she responded, ” You have the right person.”, meaning her. Also, you make comments insinuating that his family knew he had problems and somehow ignored them, or didn’t do enough to help him. How on earth do you know this? We have no idea what his parents may or may not have done. He is a grown man living in another state. We don’t control what our adult children do. The speculation and blame being put upon this psycho’s family is outrageous. Nobody is to blame for this horrible tragedy other than the man who pulled the trigger, and his family doesn’t owe you or any of the rest of us anything!
- Miz.Chellie
  Hello Annalise. I did see the statement from the family and I am not sure if I buy it although I am not saying it is false.
  Yes, he is a grown man living in another state however he has only been living in that other state (Colorado) for a about a year or so. Since he couldn’t hold on to a job and there is no record of him even having a job in Colorado, it is highly likely that he was relying on his parents for some type of financial support – even if he had some scholarships due to good grades. So he has only been out of the state where his parents live for a relatively short time.
  I find that many of the angry-ish and more passionate comments such as yours come from those who had issues with kids and then fall back on that they can’t control what their kids do.
  While that is true, in most cases it is not an issue since their kids don’t turn out to be mass murderers. It turns into a big issue and other peoples concern when 12 people are ruthlessly and savagely murdered including a 6 year old child and another 50+ people are injured and some of those people may still succumb to their injuries and die due to this one person’s actions!
  So I find it mighty strange for you to say, “his family doesn’t owe you or any of the rest of us anything”.
  His behaviors didn’t manifest overnight – that’s a fact. And his actions were also VERY premeditated. Months and months of assembling all his tools for a massacre took intelligence, planning, focus and a lot of money. He received numerous deliveries and was outfitted in protective gear – none of these items come cheap. He also put in tons of research before committing his horrible act.
  Were his parents supporting him? Were they sending cash? Were they letting him use a credit card? (If so, that would open a whole other can of worms if they saw receipts) I for one would like to know where all the money came from for him to assemble his deadly and very expensive arsenal.
  You know why? Because that would be a sign. This guy did not snap overnight.
  And you say his family doesn’t owe us? I beg to differ. Although they are not to blame since it was his actions that caused mass casualties not theirs, if his family can shed any light into what he was like – any obsessions etc, things they may have noticed but didn’t think it was that big of a deal, anything – their insights can be invaluable in research and to perhaps assist other parents to recognize some signs of an extremely disturbed mind. This will help so that action can be taken before rather than after.
  If he would have just killed himself, then obviously this would have been a non-issue and if the family did not want to talk, then so be it. Those same rules do not apply to a massacre involving over 70 innocent people!
Leila
too much study can make a person mentally exhausted especially coming straight from College into
study and the content these days in study papers is pretty evil often and can twist a person. He was alone (why wasnt he
close to home and living at home while he studied I wonder) 24 is a bit of a kid to me although they do
know right from wrong. I suspect although he was very bright (obviously) his emotional age was really
young, this can happen and people can be stuck in childhood this I know.
- Miz.Chellie
  Leila – 24 is a bit young but I concur that it’s old enough to know right from wrong.
Melany
I’m sure the family will speak, but for heaven’s sake, let’s give them a few days to gather themselves together!
- Miz.Chellie
  That does sound reasonable. They are no doubt going through a lot. I just have a feeling that with legal issues and such, it may not happen for awhile.
Mike Newton
If this guy came from an affluent family and he had money to buy all these guns, ammunition, etc., why are they giving him a public defender. Obviously he can’t afford an attorney because he spent all his money on the guns, ammuniton and bombs. But we must make sure that his civil rights are not violated in any way and that he gets his day in court. How’s this for an idea. Since he’s Jewish and has mental problems, why doesn’t the ACL-JEW defend him pro bono. After all, aren’t they the champions of all wackos, misfits and perverts. The KKK (kooks, kommies and kweers). They defend the neo-Natzis in Skokie, Illinois for their right to march. So if they can do that, why can’t they defend one of their own kind. Those guys would have you believe that if all those people had stayed home, they woulldn’t have gotten shot. After all, it’s not the kid’s fault that he can’t adjust to the world. It’s society’s fault that we can’t relate to his situation.
- Miz.Chellie
  HI Mike. I agree with the first part of our statement. Why doesn’t his parents pay. I know the answer, since he’s older they do not have to legally do so and obviously they are not. We still don’t know if they were supporting him or if he had a trust but he had an expensive arsenal.
Deborah
Hello Anneliese-what you say,and judge about this man’s family is reprehensible. First of all you have no proof that what the mother “allegedly” said, was in fact just a statement that she was the person being sought or not. You do not know for a fact whether she was aware he had serious problems or not-do you? Even if she had felt he had problems, I’m sure her first instinct would not be he may be a psycopathic killer-if so we all let society down every day as I’m sure most people come across friends,relatives and mere aquaintances with many problems and issues quite regularly and if we reported them all to the police I think we would find ourselves in danger of being the one with a problem! I feel from your site that you may be “fishing” for a story by heaping blame on this man’s unfortunate relatives-if so that is quite despicable.
- Miz.Chellie
  Hello Deborah – I think you mean me (chellie) instead of Anneliese -I think sot sure.
  I’ve repeatedly said that I do not blame the parents however their silence is really baffling. The mother will hold a press conference to clarify her comments about her version of the initial phone call, ONLY after her lawyer was assured that there was no audio recording of that conversation. That just sounds plain fishy and doesn’t present the family in a positive light.
  Of course I know that not everyone can be reported to police. And I mentioned that a few comments down.
  I do firmly hold that this guy had problems that did not manifest overnight. This isn’t like he freaked out one day and did a really horrible thing.
  It took months (and months) of planning. In his notebook recently found, he painstakingly detailed what he was going to do – it’s really sad that the letter sat opened until after the massacre took place.
  Where did he get the money from if he doesn’t work? This was not a hundred dollars. This is thousands of dollars. Thousands, How did he pay rent? Living expenses. Maybe he had a trust – I don’t know the answer which is why I am asking. I think it is a very VERY valid question.
  Although I am not fishing for a story, I am always open to it. I’d welcome his family to contact me to present their side as long as they would agree to answer questions. (not like Katherine Jackson who makes a one sided statement and won’t answer any questions)
  Since his behavior did not manifest overnight, his parents should speak out. Maybe they took him for help and was told he wasn’t crazy? Maybe they were told that unless he does something, their hands were tied? Maybe they even turned a blind eye to his behavior thinking it wasn’t that big of a deal? And maybe, but I really doubt it, he seemed normal to them.
  There’s a lot of maybe’s and no answers.
  If they could help one family – just one – to possibly recognize signs of a really troubled mind of the killer kind, they would be doing the world a big service in helping to prevent another massacre. And it would help mental health professional too.
  Fortunately we do have too many people (that we know of) that are mass murderers. So for the few that we know about, we need to know about the behaviors.
  Again their silence is baffling.
Mark
I notice in your article that Holmes had “way too many guns”. I agree, every man & his dog in the US has too many guns. You only have 5 times our population here in the UK but you have 800 TIMES as many deaths from guns. Says it all doesn’t it !!!
- Miz.Chellie
  Hi Mark – Wow – 800 times. that’s horrible! He had an arsenal. I did not even know that a “regular” person could obtain military grade type of equipment like that. Real powerful stuff.
peter
Everyone has to be thinking in their back of their minds what monetary responsibility John Holmes parents carry if they knew their son was capable of such a horrific crime? Eventually when everything comes out and the dust from this trial settles, families that have lost loved ones will come after them with civil lawsuits for compensation of their lost ones. Hence why a powerful attorney is hired and denial to their knowledge of John Holmes history is in their better interest.
- Miz.Chellie
  Peter – I do think a lot of people are thinking it – you know I am thinking it and saying it. Yes, you sure make a great point about the civil lawsuits that will no doubt be filed. They did “lawyer-up” lightening fast!
Truth
I belief he was drugged by the Devils Breath drug by evil people who used him as a soft target and brainwashed him. Even if he used normal strong street drugs… or had a high degree of skisophrenia…. this would not cause somebody to act like this………… Evil plot….. and excuse to disarm Americans from their guns perhaps…..
How on earh would this guy have booby trapped his own apartment with sophisticated bombs….. impossible…..
He was set up… anybody that cant see this… are absolutely stupid……… Many people have been drugged and brainwashed as innocent victims in the past to carry out others evil schemes.. These drugs also cause amnesia.
Helloooooo USA.. wake up… do not belief the media always what you read and what you see on TV…… Think…
crazy media web
Yes when she was contacted her son’s face was already all over tv for about 6 hours whoa she knew he was gonna go to kill people why batman in colorado on the premiere at midnight definitely
media stand down you people are freakin un real
- Miz.Chellie
  That’s highly likely. They still have not spoken out.
crazy media web
She knew it was her son and she knew what they were talking about
blind people

Colorado Shooter James Holmes family knew he had issues

Colorado Shooter James Holmes family knew he had issues.

Colorado Shooters Mom knew he was troubled

Colorado shooters mother says phone call was misconstrued

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Colorado Shooter James Holmes family knew he had issues

Colorado Shooter James Holmes family knew he had issues.

Colorado Shooters Mom knew he was troubled

Colorado shooters mother says phone call was misconstrued

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