Parents of Alleged Colorado Theater Shooter James Holmes Speak to California Newspaper - East Idaho News
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Parents of Alleged Colorado Theater Shooter James Holmes Speak to California Newspaper

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Getty 033115 JamesHolmesParents?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1427851544803Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images(DEL MAR, Calif.) — The parents of accused Colorado theater shooter James Holmes spoke to a California newspaper for an article published Tuesday about the prayer book published earlier this month that was taken from Holmes’ mother’s journal.

Arlene Holmes began writing in her prayer journal in 2013, after her son was arrested and charged in the shooting that killed 12 people and injured dozens more in an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater, the Del Mar Times reports. Her new book, When the Focus Shifts, was published earlier this month as a means of “drawing attention to her opposition to the death penalty, especially for the mentally ill, and her advocacy for improved treatment for those with severe mental disorders,” according to the newspaper.

Arlene’s husband, Bob Holmes, told the Times that he felt publishing the book was “very courageous of Arlene. It’s a very personal book for her.”

Opening arguments in the murder trial are expected to begin in late April.

The Times reports that the book contains prayers for the prosecutors handling James Holmes’ case and the victims of the 2012 shooting.

Arlene and Bob Holmes also told the newspaper that they held out hope that the district attorney would accept a defense offer of a guilty plea in exchange for a sentence of life in prison without parole. The prosecutor is seeking the death penalty.

In the interview, Arlene Holmes admits that she and her husband feel some “guilt” for their son’s actions, noting that “we didn’t recognize he was ill and needed treatment.”


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