James Holmes Sits Coldly in Sad Pretrial Hearing

Officers give moving testimony about 'Dark Knight' massacre
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 7, 2013 4:26 PM CST
Holmes Was 'Relaxed' After Dark Knight Massacre
This courtroom sketch shows Aurora Police officer Justin Grizzel as he testifies at a preliminary hearing for James Holmes at a district court in Centennial, Colo., on Monday, Jan. 7, 2013.   (AP Photo/Bill Robles, Pool)

James Holmes sat expressionless at a pretrial hearing today as police officers gave heart-rending testimony about the Dark Knight massacre, the Denver Post reports. Officer Aaron Blue said he held a gunshot victim in the backseat of a car going to the hospital: "Everytime she moved, she stopped breathing," he said; she didn't survive. One sergeant said he could find no pulse on 6-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan, the youngest victim of the July 20 attack, the AP reports. A woman sitting among family of the victims held her head in her hands as he spoke.

Holmes "was very relaxed" when police found him outside the Century 16 theater that night, his hands on top of his car beside a handgun, said Officer Jason Oviatt: "It was like there weren't normal emotional responses." In fact, Oviatt thought Holmes was a police officer because of his body armor, which made him difficult to search. After testifying, officers hung around outside the courtroom and smiled at family members and shooting victims during breaks. Most of the victims held out their hands or opened their arms for a hug. (More James Holmes stories.)

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