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. A blood trail led from the hallway outside the bedroom to the downstairs living room, where Bruces body was found. [16] A bullet passed through the wall and hit three people in adjacent theater 8, which was screening the same film. Aurora, Colorado Nathan Dunlap visits his former place of employment, shoots 5 former co-workers killing 4, and robs the store of $1,500. At the conclusion, Judge Sylvester decided there was enough relevant, admissible evidence to proceed to a trial. COLORADO SPRINGS He remembers the hum of the vacuum cleaner, the sound of closing time at the Aurora Chuck E. Cheese restaurant where he worked in 1993.. [136] Christian Bale, who plays Batman in the film series, privately visited victims on July 24. Denver's independent source of Earlier, he had rigged his apartment with homemade explosives and incendiary devices. The Police Department in Aurora, Colo., engaged in a pattern of racially biased policing and excessive force, according to an investigation that began after the 2019 death of . 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. Suspect Charges: Murder, Attempted Murder", "Colorado movie massacre suspect to be formally charged", "Lawyers: Colo. [93] On June 8, a second psychiatrist, Jeffrey Metzner, testified that Holmes was mentally ill but legally sane during the shooting, and suffers from schizoaffective disorder. [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". [22][23] He shot first to the back of the room, and then toward people in the aisles. [155][156] AMC Theatres announced it would "not allow any guests into our theatres in costumes that make other guests feel uncomfortable and we will not permit face-covering masks or fake weapons inside our buildings". The rate of murder in Aurora is 0.02 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. Seven suspects wanted for Colorado Mills mall shooting. Booking photos for (from left) Emily Strunk, Dontavious Hetzel and Kevin Wertin. Alex Ewing, 61 . Martinezs grandmother then told detectives about the conversation she had with him at 1:30 a.m. On the call, he allegedly said he went to the Aurora house and was doing shots of tequila with Estancia, Marisol and Kaden. [86][88] Jurors examined the evidence for thirty minutes. About 20 minutes into the film, he left theater 9 through an emergency exit door beside the movie screen, with direct access to the lightly used parking area at the back of the complex, while propping the door slightly open with a plastic tablecloth holder. At the time, the event had the largest number of victims (82) in one shooting in modern U.S. Defense counsel sought and was granted a mental competence examination, which led to the first prosecution attempt ending in a mistrial. [55] Four people's eyes were irritated by the tear gas grenades, while eight others sustained non-gunshot injuries while fleeing the theater. [31][33][34] Later, the Colorado district attorney who prosecuted Holmes said he never called himself The Joker, and blamed the federal officials for the rumor. The violence against cops in this country shows no signs of slowing down. After a 11-day hiatus, he attacked Roy Williams at his home in Kingman, Arizona, using a rock. All I want in my older years is some peace and quiet and some tranquility of some kind.. 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 . [138] Members of the Denver Broncos also called or visited individuals at the hospitals. However, the jurors decided that Holmes did not intend to kill children when he opened fire. Events Shooting The shooting occurred in Theater 9 at the Century 16 multiplex (operated by Cinemark Theatres), located in the Town Center at Aurora shopping mall at 14300 E. Alameda Avenue. Now investigators are working to determine whether a Nevada convict named Alex Christopher Ewing is that man. Holmes was arrested minutes later in his car outside the cinema. He . ", "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. The Denver7 Team 4:22 PM, Jan . A Kane County jury Thursday convicted an Aurora man of murdering a man he suspected belonged to a rival gang. Ewing was found guilty on Aug 6, 2021 in the 1984 Bennett family Murders in Aurora, Colorado. CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - A judge sentenced Alex Ewing to three life sentences on Tuesday after he was found guilty in the 1984 murders of three people in Aurora. Denver7 News brings you breaking and developing news from Aurora, Colorado on KMGH-TV and TheDenverChannel.com. [76] Colorado State District Court Judge William B. Sylvester, who was the trial judge overseeing the case, placed a gag order on lawyers and law enforcement, sealing the court file and barring the University of Colorado from releasing public records relating to Holmes' year at the school. 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. [45][46][47], A police official said a Batman mask was found in the apartment. 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. Furthermore, the loving grandmother had been sexually assaulted. Two "very young" children and a woman who . She was hospitalized in a coma with serious facial injuries that left her paralyzed on her left side, Connie said. They entered the home to find Kaden Casteneda, 18, Marisol Espindola, 18, and Estancia Martinez, 41, stabbed and shot to death. When its a random attack like that, its difficult to tie anyone to it, Connie said. 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. Its affected her in so many ways, not only physically but emotionally, Connie said. Sept. 15, 2021. The mandatory minimum sentence to serve is 20 years. [91][92] On May 27, Dr. William Reid, a court-appointed psychiatrist, testified that Holmes was mentally ill but legally sane. [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. To me, it just means that there is a God.. He denied telling his grandma that and asked for an attorney. 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 . [174] Gun sales in Washington, Florida, California, and Georgia also increased. The jury consisted of 19 women and five men, two of whom had connections to the Columbine High School massacre. 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. Connie raised Vanessa after the killings, and for years feared the killer would come back. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. history. The accused was then charged with first-degree murder of the Bennetts - Bruce, Debra, and Melissa - and Patricia Smith in 2021 and 2022, respectively. [182][183], A memorial to the victims of the attack was installed near Aurora Municipal Center, some 850m (929.57yd) from the theater, and dedicated on July 19, 2018, one day before the sixth anniversary of the attack. recess on the first day of his Aurora Hammer Murder trial July 27 at the Arapahoe County Courthouse . The aurora was caught on camera by photographer Nigel Wilkins, spectacularly lighting up the sky above Kenilworth Castle. local news and culture, Michael Roberts [151], Soon after the shooting, police departments and cinemas across the United States and around the world increased security for fear of copycat incidents. September 29, 2021 On March 3, 1967, Charles Brett Lange was found legally insane & sent to the Colorado State Hospital instead of prison. 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[113] President Barack Obama ordered flags at government buildings flown at half-staff, in tribute to the victims, until July 25. [13] Police evacuated five buildings surrounding his Aurora residence, which was about 5mi (8km) north of the cinema. Colorado hammer killer, aka Alex Ewing, was found guilty in the Bennetts' and Patricia Smith's murder cases in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Some believed he was playing a prank,[15] while others thought he was part of a special effects setup for the film's premiere, or a publicity stunt by the studio or theater management. [94], On June 9, three jurors were dismissed from the trial due to concerns of their violating orders not to talk about news reports about the case. [133] Other major film studios joined Warner Bros. in withholding early box office numbers on July 21. 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. Gunman in 2021 Aurora hotel room shooting found guilty of first-degree murder. Holmes faces 166 counts, almost all alleging murder or attempted murder. [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. [3][6] Witnesses said the multiplex's fire alarm system began sounding soon after the attack began, and staff told people in Theater 8 to evacuate. Follow @dh_ssarkauskas. [104], On July 27, Holmes' sister stated in her testimony that her brother became withdrawn from the family after they moved from Salinas to San Diego during his early teenage years. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. At least well know who it was, and it will be over, she said. Bloody bootprints were found throughout the house. Looked sideways at people in the grocery store. He also fired a Smith & Wesson M&P15[19] semi-automatic rifle with a 100-round drum magazine, which eventually malfunctioned. She was pushed or fell to the bedroom floor, and died there. [150] As of 2020, Cinemark Theatres has not released any photographs or video evidence. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. Face of the man accused of 1984 Hammer Attack Triple Murder in Aurora & Lakewood Murder. [66], Caleb Medley, the last victim discharged, left University Hospital on September 12. Four people, including one woman and three men, were fatally shot in an Aurora, Colorado home early Sunday morning in a domestic . [7] Police said that Holmes bought a ticket, entered the theater, and sat in the front row. Eighteenth Judicial District Attorney John Kellner declined to comment on the upcoming trial. Because theyre gone. [107][108], Holmes was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on August 7 after jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision over sentencing him to death. The investigation began at approximately 12:45 p.m. Sunday, when the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call at a residence of 502 Carnahan Street in Marquette. She miscarried a week after the attack. Joseph Michael Ervin, left, has been identified through DNA as a serial killer who, in addition to Aurora (Colo.) police Officer Debra Sue Corr, clockwise from top middle, killed Madeleine Furey . Bennett Family. [18] He fired a 12-gauge Remington 870 Express Tactical shotgun, first at the ceiling and then at the audience. Both parents were bludgeoned with a hammer, and the attacker also used a knife. On Jan. 28, reports were made of gunshots outside Dick's Sporting Goods. She told him it was just a dream and to go back to bed, the affidavit said. When officers responded to the call and went by the home in the 1500 block of South Evanston Street, they saw the garage door partially open and lights on in the home, according to the affidavit. DNA, thats a miracle. [169], On January 14, 2013, Chantel Blunk, estranged wife and widow of victim Jonathan Blunk, filed a lawsuit against the University of Colorado in federal court. [146], Hans Zimmer, who composed the soundtrack for The Dark Knight Rises, recorded a choral song entitled "Aurora" in honor of the victims. NEW: Police release photos from the 1980s of Alex Christopher Ewing, suspect in 1984 hammer killings of Patricia Louise Smith and Bruce, Debra and Melissa Bennett. January 27, 1984: Ewing attacks a man in Kingman, Arizona in his home; beats man's head with a hammer. (KSNB) - A 49-year-old Hamilton County woman is dead and her husband has been arrested for her murder, according to the Nebraska State Patrol. . It isnt. Officers responded just after 8 a.m . Martinez called his grandparents again around 8 a.m. and told them he wanted to come to see them. THOSE with their eyes to the skies on Sunday night (February 26) may have caught a very rare sighting of the northern lights. Published 3:23 PM EDT, Sun October 30, 2022. Please logout and login again. and help keep the future of Westword, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. Constance Bennett, the mother of murder victim Bruce Bennett, is questioned defense attorney Katherine Powers Spengler during Alex Ewing's murder trial, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in an Arapahoe County Court in Centennial, Colo. Ewing is accused of killing Bruce and Debra Bennett and their 7-year-old daughter Melissa in Aurora in January 1984. Dressed in tactical clothing, 24-year-old James Holmes set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms. . She joined the paper in 2019 and previously worked as a crime reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pennsylvania and the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee. Kaden does not live at that residence and it was his first time at the location, the affidavit said. . . It is the deadliest shooting by a lone perpetrator in the history of Colorado and the deadliest mass shooting since the Columbine High School massacre in April 1999. 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 . 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. Although it took authorities nearly four decades to . [31][32] Three days later, at his first court appearance in Centennial, Colorado, Holmes's hair appeared reddish-orange. [99], On July 16, after jury deliberations, Holmes was found guilty of 24 counts of first-degree murder, 140 counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of possessing illegal explosives, and a sentence enhancement of a crime of violence. ChristopherMartinez, the suspect,is Estancias son andthe other two victims are his siblings, the affidavit said. [98], By July 10, the prosecution and the defense rested their cases. Around 7 p.m., Martinez went to the home in Aurora with his grandfather, his uncle and a family friend. "[84], Jury selection started on January 20, 2015. [141][142] The film's release date was rescheduled to January 2013, and the theater scene was replaced by a new sequence in a different setting. [35] The officers found several firearms in the theater and inside the shooter's car, including another Glock 22 handgun. 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). [48] On July 23, police finished collecting evidence from the apartment. Melissa Bennett seemed to enjoy the instrument, and when Connie headed home around 9 p.m. that night, she thought shed visit again and give more lessons if Melissa stayed interested. 11. Face of the man accused of 1984 Hammer Attack Triple Murder in Aurora & Lakewood Murder.