. Now investigators are working to determine whether a Nevada convict named Alex Christopher Ewing is that man. [40] Holmes' apartment complex is limited to University of Colorado Medical Center students, patients, and employees. The grizzly site was at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012. 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 . Some of the most infamous Colorado murders include the 1996 murder of JonBent Ramsey, the 1984 murder of Mark Groezinger, the 2000 double murder of Nick Kunselman and Stephanie Hart-Grizzell, and the Watts family murders. [9], Holmes went to his car (which he had parked near the exit door), changed into protective clothing, and retrieved his guns. 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. [13] He was listening to techno music through a set of headphones so that he could not hear anything from people in the theater. Shelly Bradbury is the courts reporter at the Denver Post. After a search warrant was approved by a court judge, APD Major Crimes Homicide Unit detectives found Kaden with what appeared to be multiple stab wounds. At approximately 2:00 AM on January 4th . 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[133] Other major film studios joined Warner Bros. in withholding early box office numbers on July 21. James Holmes was another of the Colorado serial killers. [95] In the following week, two additional jurors were dismissed; the first due to emotional problems following the shooting of a family member, the second for recognizing a survivor who was wounded in the massacre. [148], Cinemark agreed to pay any funeral expenses incurred by the deceased victims' families not covered by the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund. [25], The first phone calls to emergency services via 9-1-1 were made at 12:39a.m. Police arrived within 90seconds[26] and found three .40-caliber handgun magazines, a shotgun, and a large drum magazine on the floor of the theater. The perpetrator's first trial for Smith's case took place in October 2021. Though it was difficult to see the kaleidoscopic colours with the naked eye due to light pollution . James Holmes, one of the Colorado Serial Killers. Its not really, fully justice. According to press reports, he seemed dazed and largely unaware of his surroundings. 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. But after Connie left that night, someone armed with a hammer entered the familys Aurora home and killed Melissa, her mother Debra Bennett, 26, and her father Bruce Bennett, 27. I think I hurt them. She also said he was hyperventilating at some point. His DNA also was found in the Lakewood home of Patricia Smith, 50, who was killed six days earlier. They cut out a section of concrete floor to preserve a shoeprint. Two Aurora, Colorado police officers charged after brutally beating 29-year-old Kyle Vinson. . He is accused of opening fire in a movie theater July 20, 2012, in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 70. She was found bludgeoned with a hammer, with about 17 wounds to the head. It isnt. James Holmes / Aurora, Colorado Movie Theater Shooting < Prev Chapter. The series is told from . 4147. 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. [86], The trial started on April 27, 2015. Despite heavy criticism from families and loved ones of victims,[181][182] the theater was not demolished and reopened to the public after cleaning and renovation on January 25, 2013, nearly 6 months after the shooting. [22][23] He shot first to the back of the room, and then toward people in the aisles. In Aurora, Colorado, Paula Sue Steinbach disappeared from her neighborhood around 8:00 p.m. on . [167], In a separate lawsuit in state court, Cinemark was sued by families of the victims, who alleged the theater should have taken greater measures to prevent such a shooting. Thirty-seven-and-a-half years ago, Connie, now 87, said Wednesday. [166] Attorney Christina Habas, who represents several theater victims, has said: "We essentially don't have a single photograph, a single piece of evidence that we can show to a jury". Face of the man accused of 1984 Hammer Attack Triple Murder in Aurora & Lakewood Murder. On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside a Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, United States, during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises. Intent on revenge, he visited the restaurant at approximately 9:00pm. Arapahoe County prosecutors said that Holmes was sane during the shooting and intended to kill all 400 people in the theater, while Holmes' lawyers said he had a psychotic episode during 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. [174] Gun sales in Washington, Florida, California, and Georgia also increased. The jury found Ewing guilty on . He stayed until 9:50 then hid in a bathroom until after closing, emerging around 10:05. [53][54] This figure would not be surpassed until the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, which killed 49 people and injured 58 others for a combined total of 107 casualties. Although it took authorities nearly four decades to . Approximately seven months after the Aurora killings, a Nevada couple was beaten with an ax handle. . [137] Members of the Colorado Rockies baseball team also visited victims. As these murders occurred in 1986, Ewing is sentenced under those laws. Connie raised Vanessa after the killings, and for years feared the killer would come back. 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. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. , Utah governor says he plans to sign abortion clinic, Students weigh in on school resource officer debate, Suncor to restart plants, expects late March reopening, Assault weapons ban introduced in Colorado, Advocates, community urge lawmakers to act on guns, Twins walking in all 50 states for foster kids, 100s march to Capitol, demand tougher gun laws, Denver weather: Pleasant weekend before snow, cold, Bruce Springsteen surprises shop owner before concert, Man faces charges after LoDo fight victim dies, Ramsey house in Boulder on market for $7 million, Person of interest identified in Boulder shooting, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He murdered 12 people and injured 70 others. 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). Although Alex Ewing was not initially considered a suspect in the case, a DNA test in July 2018 connected him to semen discovered at the murder site. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Alex Ewing is accused of killing 3 members of the Bennett family in Aurora in 1984. . [77], On August 9, Holmes' attorneys said he is mentally ill and they needed more time to assess the nature of his illness. history. [63], The injured were treated at Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver Health Medical Center, The Medical Center of Aurora, Parker Adventist Hospital, Rose Medical Center, Swedish Hospital, and University Hospital. [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. He displayed photos of camping trips and family vacations with Holmes to the jury.