[154], The National Association of Theatre Owners distributed checklists from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to its members and said in a July 21 statement that members were "working closely with local law enforcement agencies and reviewing security procedures". [178], In 2015, a campaign titled "No Notoriety" was started by the parents of Alexander Teves, who died in the shooting. The rate of murder in Aurora is 0.02 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. [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. The Aurora Police Department . Connie discovered her sons body the next morning, on Jan. 16, 1984. He had violently attacked, raped and killed Patricia Smith in Lakewood a few days before the Aurora attacks. James Holmes, convicted on 24 counts of murder for shooting 12 people dead at a cinema in Aurora, Colorado, was considered a quiet young man before the attack. She told him it was just a dream and to go back to bed, the affidavit said. Join the Westword community and help support . The 10-part series, whose first three episodes debut today, brings to life Taylor Jenkins Reid's best-selling 2019 novel about an imaginary rock band from the '70s who release their magnum opus, Aurora, before they breakup, riven by the complicated, tortured relationship between singer/songwriter Jones (Riley Keough) and band co-founder Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin). Link Copied! [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. [14] Initially, few in the audience considered Holmes to be a threat. The jury found Ewing guilty on . He said he told her that he had a bad dream about his family but that she told him it was only a dream and not to worry about it. [168] The judge allowed Cinemark Theatres to submit a bill of costs to the plaintiffs to recover expenses due to the litigation, as Colorado state law allows for prevailing parties. [181] The reopening ceremony, which was boycotted by opponents of the theater's reopening, included a memorial service and a screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. [98], By July 10, the prosecution and the defense rested their cases. Updated 3/3/2023 1:35 PM. The center offers therapy for people who experienced traumatic stress from the theater shooting, and also people who were victims of other crimes and refugees who experienced a traumatic event in their country of origin before coming to the U.S.[172][173], Colorado gun sales spiked after the shooting, with the number of background checks for people seeking to purchase a firearm in the state increasing to 2,887, up 43% from the previous week. I just want to get it done and get a resolution on this, Connie said. [39] Speaking on behalf of himself and FBI agent James Yacone, who was in charge of the investigation, Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said he was confident that the shooter acted alone. Gunman in 2021 Aurora hotel room shooting found guilty of first-degree murder. These were defused by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad a day after the shooting. Some witnesses thought he was wearing a costume, like other audience members who had dressed up for the screening. Dressed in tactical clothing, 24-year-old James Holmes set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms. LAKEWOOD, Colo. (KKCO) - Seven suspects are currently at large in connection to a shooting that took place at Colorado Mills Mall. Closing statements were made on July 14, with formal deliberations beginning the following morning. [73][74][75], On July 30, Colorado prosecutors filed formal charges against Holmes, including 24 counts of first-degree murder, 116 counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of illegal possession of explosives. [13] Police evacuated five buildings surrounding his Aurora residence, which was about 5mi (8km) north of the cinema. When Ewing was pinpointed as the perpetrator of the Bennett family and Smith attacks, he was already serving a 110-year sentence for the attempted murder of a Henderson-based couple. Colorado, a state where open carry is legal, has suffered through some of the most deadly mass shootings in American history, including the 1999 Columbine shooting and the Aurora theater attack in . On Jan. 28, reports were made of gunshots outside Dick's Sporting Goods. Arapahoe County prosecutors sought the death penalty. 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. [13] He was listening to techno music through a set of headphones so that he could not hear anything from people in the theater. [22][23] He shot first to the back of the room, and then toward people in the aisles. Henry from the My Corona series.". The victim, identified as Helene Michelle Brooks, 57, died as a result of blunt force injuries and her cause of death is also considered a homicide, according to the coroner's office. local news and culture, Michael Roberts Alex Christopher Ewing has been in a Nevada Prison for most of the past 34 yrs for a similar . They collected a piece of carpet from under Melissas body, and a comforter on the girls bed. [28], At about 12:45a.m., police officer Jason Oviatt apprehended Holmes[11][29] behind the cinema, next to his car, without resistance. They were living in Aurora and planned to make a life together there. [179][180], The Century 16 theater where the shooting occurred was rebranded as the Century Aurora theater by its parent company Cinemark Theatres. 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. In Aurora, Colorado, Paula Sue Steinbach disappeared from her neighborhood around 8:00 p.m. on . The Lakewood Police Department believe there are two groups involved. All I want in my older years is some peace and quiet and some tranquility of some kind.. Unfortunately, yes. AURORA, Colo. July 26, 2012 -- The movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., was not the city's first massacre. Your login session has expired. He also fired a Smith & Wesson M&P15[19] semi-automatic rifle with a 100-round drum magazine, which eventually malfunctioned. Alex Ewing, 60, was found guilty by a jury, The Denver Post reported, after a trial in which prosecutors argued DNA evidence . (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. At approximately 2:00 AM on January 4th . THOSE with their eyes to the skies on Sunday night (February 26) may have caught a very rare sighting of the northern lights. -- Authorities with the federal prison system revealed overnight that convicted mass murderer James Holmes, serving multiple life sentences for a 2012 massacre at an Aurora, Colorado movie . The affidavit said Martinezs grandmother told investigators when Martinez arrived, he said to her, I think I killed my mom and sister. On July 28, Holmes' father pleaded for his son's life, stating that he is severely mentally ill. Dan Oates, Aurora's interim police chief, said three men and one woman were killed in the attack just after 2 a.m. Sunday. They cut out a section of concrete floor to preserve a shoeprint. [148], Cinemark agreed to pay any funeral expenses incurred by the deceased victims' families not covered by the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund. iwondergallery. In June 2016, a federal judge dismissed the last claims in the lawsuit. 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. [49] Two days later, residents were allowed to return to the four surrounding buildings, and six days later, residents were allowed to move back into the formerly booby-trapped building. [78] Prosecutors alleged on August 24, 2012, that Holmes told a classmate he wanted to kill people four months before the shooting. [175] The shooting reignited the political debate on gun control, with one issue being the "easy access" Holmes had to semi-automatic rifles and high-capacity magazines, which were banned federally from 1994 to 2004. Around 3:40 p.m. on September 25, APD officers found a male suffering from a gunshot wound and another man who appeared to have been stabbed at 1575 North . This post examines a series of unsolved attacks and murders that occurred in January, 1984 in the Lakewood suburb of Denver, Colorado. Ewing's violent spree continued 11 days later in Arizona when he attacked Roy Williams with a rock as he lay sleeping in his Kingman home. [181] Theater room nine, where the actual shooting occurred, was combined with an adjoining room into a new XD theater room. He required a feeding tube, had severely impaired movement, and could no longer speak. 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. [132] Some television advertisements for the film were also canceled. [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. 57-yr old. The aurora was caught on camera by photographer Nigel Wilkins, spectacularly lighting up the sky above Kenilworth Castle. Stephen Redfearn, one of the first police officers to arrive on the scene, sent victims to area hospitals in squad cars. Alonzo Powell, age 41, was found dead in the room according to the April 30, 2000, Metro Digest section of the Denver Post. [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. [117][118][119][120][121] Many world leaders sent their condolences, including Queen Elizabeth II,[122] French President Franois Hollande,[123] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,[124] Russian President Vladimir Putin,[125] and Pope Benedict XVI.[126]. [9], Holmes went to his car (which he had parked near the exit door), changed into protective clothing, and retrieved his guns. Officers responded just after 8 a.m . Earlier this year, he was found guilty of first-degree murder of Patricia. She was rendered a paraplegic. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families. [151], Soon after the shooting, police departments and cinemas across the United States and around the world increased security for fear of copycat incidents. [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. [81][clarification needed], Also on January 7, lawyers for both sides argued whether to admit four unspecified prescription bottles and immunization records investigators had seized from Holmes' apartment when they searched it in July 2012, considering doctor-patient confidentiality laws. Alex Ewing is accused of killing 3 members of the Bennett family in Aurora in 1984. . DNA, thats a miracle. 11. On October 30, 2012, the court hearing the criminal case against Holmes denied a motion by some of the survivors that would have let them access sealed evidence for review in their civil action against the theater chain. She miscarried a week after the attack. He said he had a fight with his mom over his room being dirty but told them it was small and was not a big deal.. Cesar J. Ponce, 19 . [18] He fired a 12-gauge Remington 870 Express Tactical shotgun, first at the ceiling and then at the audience. [71], On November 16, 2012, the Aurora Victim Relief Fund announced that each family of the dead would receive $220,000. ", "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. He stayed until 9:50 then hid in a bathroom until after closing, emerging around 10:05. However, the jurors decided that Holmes did not intend to kill children when he opened fire. He told her that he went upstairs and told Estancia and Marisol what he had done and they didnt believe him. Its affected her in so many ways, not only physically but emotionally, Connie said. The accused was then charged with first-degree murder of the Bennetts - Bruce, Debra, and Melissa - and Patricia Smith in 2021 and 2022, respectively. [7] Police said that Holmes bought a ticket, entered the theater, and sat in the front row. By Logan Smith. history. He told her he got blackout drunk and stabbed Kaden because he was talking too much, the affidavit said. Alex Christopher Ewing has been in a Nevada Prison for most of the past 34 yrs for a similar attack there. He remembers the dishes and the clatter they made when he dropped them to the floor after being shot in the face. Jurors were prohibited from learning about Ewing's conviction for the Bennett family trial in Arapahoe County when a discussion attempted to draw parallels between the two murder cases. [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. level of violent crime this year in Denver, officer-involved shootings map created by Denver7, "One Person Killed After Drive-by Shooting in Hoffman Heights", "Shots Fired During Barricaded Armed Party Call", "Man Kills Woman in Early Morning Attack", "Suspicious Death Investigation on East Colfax and North Emporia Street", "Man Fatally Shot at Bristol Point Shopping Center", "Man Surrenders to Aurora Police After Murdering Woman", "Shooting in Side Creek Neighborhood Leaves Woman Critical and Man Dead", "Two Arrested After Shooting Man in Laredo Highline Neighborhood", "Officer-Involved Shooting on South Xanadu Way", "Officer-Involved Shooting With Hoax Bomb in Summer Valley Neighborhood", "Officer-Involved Shooting at East Hampden Avenue and South Chambers Road", "Officer-Involved Shooting at Wolf's Motor Inn", "Critical Incident Investigation After Man Injured", "Juneteenth Celebration in Parking Lot Leaves One Dead, Four Injured", "Double Shooting/Homicide in the Meadow Hills Neighborhood", "Man Killed in Shooting on Chambers Road", "Homicide Investigation Regarding Welfare Check Call", "Man Shot and Killed in Condo Parking Lot", "Suspicious Death Now Homicide on East Walsh Way", "One Man Dead in Del Mar Parkway Neighborhood Shooting". 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 . [90], On May 26, details of Holmes' notebook, reportedly found in a university mail room addressed to his psychiatrist Lynne Fenton, were entered into evidence at the trial for the first time. "[160], In response, Cinemark's representation filed a motion to dismiss on September 27, 2012, on the grounds that there was no liability under Colorado law for failure to prevent an unforeseeable criminal act. [37], Following his arrest, Holmes was initially jailed at the Arapahoe County Detention Center, under suicide watch. [83] On April 1, the prosecution announced it had declined the offer. [150] As of 2020, Cinemark Theatres has not released any photographs or video evidence. Days earlier, on Jan. 4, 1984, someone slipped inside an Aurora home and used a hammer to beat a couple, who both survived. Ahead of the People Magazine Investigates' episode titled The Colorado Hammer Killer, which is scheduled to arrive this Monday, July 11, here are five appalling facts about Alex Ewing. Two "very young" children and a woman who . A lifetime ago on a Sunday night, Connie Bennett taught her 7-year-old granddaughter to pick out a melody on a chord organ, an early birthday gift shed nabbed from a thrift store for the girl, whod turn 8 in two days. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. [64][failed verification] On July 25, three of the five hospitals treating victims announced they would limit medical bills or forgive them entirely. [85] It ended on April 15, 2015. He displayed photos of camping trips and family vacations with Holmes to the jury. She installed an alarm system. Defense counsel sought and was granted a mental competence examination, which led to the first prosecution attempt ending in a mistrial. [115][116] On July 22, President Obama met with victims and local and state officials and gave a nationally televised speech from Aurora. The following day, a woman died after an assault in the area of East Colfax Avenue and North Emporia Street around 6 a.m. September 29, 2021 [31][32] Three days later, at his first court appearance in Centennial, Colorado, Holmes's hair appeared reddish-orange. [100] The two murder convictions for each death were first-degree murder or attempted murder after deliberation, and first-degree murder or attempted murder with extreme indifference. (STORY: BREAKING: 2/2 Alex Christopher Ewing faces multiple charges in the January 1984 murders of Patricia Louise Smith in Lakewood and Bruce, Debra and Melissa Bennett in Aurora. A second trial was attempted earlier this year which went on for five days and took the jury over five hours to come up with a verdict that found him guilty of first-degree murder. He said they picked up some tequila and went back to the homehe, his mother and his sister had just moved to in Aurora. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. [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. Face of the man accused of 1984 Hammer Attack Triple Murder in Aurora & Lakewood Murder. [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. 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. In 2021, Alex Ewing, aka the Hammer Killer, was found guilty of all charges involving the horrific 1984 killings of a couple from Aurora and their 7-year-old daughter. Hammer Killer suspect to stand trial 37 years, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Get to know all 17 Denver mayor candidates , Hammer Killer suspect to stand trial 37 years after slaying of Aurora family, Colorado Hammer Killer suspect wont face death penalty in 1984 slayings, Murder suspect known as the Hammer Killer arrives in Colorado decades after cold case killings shook metro region, Ruthless hammer killer put Denver residents on edge in early 1984, 1984 Colorado hammer killer was no criminal mastermind, just an average burglar who evolved into a predator, FBI profiler says, Missing indigenous person alert issued out of Thornton for endangered teen, Man wanted in Adams County on 13 counts of child sex assault is arrested in Denver, After teens death, Denver East High students walk out to advocate for gun legislation, spree of attacks by the so-called Hammer Killer duringa 12-day span, Ewing was imprisoned just months after the killings, After School Satan Club launching first Colorado chapter, but organizer promises "we are not devil worshippers", PHOTOS: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band play Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado landlords say eviction-protection proposal could make dropping problem renters too hard, No more greasy pizza boxes, paper towels or takeout containers in Front Range compost bins come April 1, After teen's death, Denver East High students walk out to advocate for gun legislation, 5 can't-miss menus for Denver Restaurant Week, Metro Denver housing market crosses firmly into negative territory in February, Denver Botanic Gardens announces 2023 Summer Concert Series lineup, Kiszla: With Brendan Rodgers down and out, Kris Bryant could become $182 million face of worst team in Rockies history, Boulder house where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Animation reportedly edited the Cartoon Network series Beware the Batman to make the firearms look less realistic. AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) Update 7:16 p.m. Police said 39-year-old Nicholas Walker, who was wanted on attempted second-degree murder, was arrested without incident. Colorado hammer killer, aka Alex Ewing, was found guilty in the Bennetts' and Patricia Smith's murder cases in 2021 and 2022, respectively. [26], When apprehended, Holmes told the police that he had booby-trapped his apartment with explosive devices. [146], Hans Zimmer, who composed the soundtrack for The Dark Knight Rises, recorded a choral song entitled "Aurora" in honor of the victims. Susan Sarkauskas. [170] This type of lawsuit had been anticipated in an August 2012 article co-authored by bioethicist Arthur Caplan which discussed the applicability of the landmark California Supreme Court decision in Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California (1976) to the facts of the Aurora shooting. Follow @dh_ssarkauskas. On August 7, the jury deadlocked on whether to impose the death penalty. They called the Aurora Police Department around 5 p.m. on Dec. 11 and requested a welfare check after they had not heard from their other daughter and granddaughter all day, the document said. [147] The song was sold for donations that went to a fund for the victims. . On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurs at a movie theater in Aurora, a Denver suburb, killing 12 peoplethe youngest a 6-year-old girland injuring at least 70 others. Shelly Bradbury is the courts reporter at the Denver Post. To me, it just means that there is a God.. The discovery was made once Nevada prison authorities began collecting convicts' DNA (Ewing was already incarcerated at the time) and uploading it to the CODIS national database of the FBI. On Monday, a gunman killed 10 people at a Boulder grocery . But I think there has to be some kind of justice. CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) A former Nevada prison inmate was convicted Friday of first-degree murder in the long-unsolved 1984 hammer and knife slayings of three Colorado family members, including a 7-year-old girl. In 1993, a 19-year-old gunman shot and killed three teenagers and their manager at a .