Denver7 News brings you breaking and developing news from Aurora, Colorado on KMGH-TV and TheDenverChannel.com. and help keep the future of Westword, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. 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. The jury consisted of 19 women and five men, two of whom had connections to the Columbine High School massacre. 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.. [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. Bundy, Williams Chapter 16: 13. Ketia Daniel, founder of BHM Cleaning Co., is BestReviews cleaning expert. I just want to get it done and get a resolution on this, Connie said. September 29, 2021 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.. [127], Warner Bros., the distributor of The Dark Knight Rises, said it was deeply saddened by the shooting. The jury found Ewing guilty on . [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. Updated: 1:48 PM MST March 1, 2023. [30] He was described as being calm and "disconnected" during his arrest. It isnt. Closing statements were made on July 14, with formal deliberations beginning the following morning. Intent on revenge, he visited the restaurant at approximately 9:00pm. AURORA, Colo. Aurora Police were investigating the deadly shooting of a man at an apartment complex Wednesday morning. Its not really, fully justice. A blood trail led from the hallway outside the bedroom to the downstairs living room, where Bruces body was found. James Holmes / Aurora, Colorado Movie Theater Shooting < Prev Chapter. Statistic Count Raw Aurora / 100k People Colorado / 100k People National / 100k People; Total Crimes Per 100K: 16,552: Violent Crime: 3,473: 900.4: 423.1: 387.8: Murder [89] Holmes was represented by the Colorado State Public Defender. "[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. The rate of murder in Aurora is 0.02 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. [9], Holmes went to his car (which he had parked near the exit door), changed into protective clothing, and retrieved his guns. [85] It ended on April 15, 2015. [137] Members of the Colorado Rockies baseball team also visited victims. AURORA | Police are trying to determine what led to an apparent murder-suicide shooting in the driveway of a south Aurora home Friday afternoon. The affidavit said Martinezs grandmother told investigators when Martinez arrived, he said to her, I think I killed my mom and sister. [181] Theater room nine, where the actual shooting occurred, was combined with an adjoining room into a new XD theater room. [115][116] On July 22, President Obama met with victims and local and state officials and gave a nationally televised speech from Aurora. local news and culture, Michael Roberts Please see update. He required a feeding tube, had severely impaired movement, and could no longer speak. Victims & Timeline James Haubenschild: January 4, 1984 (wounded) Kimberly Haubenschild: January 4, 1984 (wounded) Donna Dixon (nee Holm), 28: January 4, 1984 (wounded) Patricia Louise Smith, 50: "[158], Three victims sued Cinemark Theatres in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on September 21, 2012, for the company's alleged negligence in failing to provide adequate safety and security measures. [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. I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. They entered the home to find Kaden Casteneda, 18, Marisol Espindola, 18, and Estancia Martinez, 41, stabbed and shot to death. He displayed photos of camping trips and family vacations with Holmes to the jury. He . Psychokillers / Gacy, Dahmer. Your login session has expired. THOSE with their eyes to the skies on Sunday night (February 26) may have caught a very rare sighting of the northern lights. In the first 38 days of 2023, we've seen 46 officers shot (+109% from 2020 YTD). Officers responded just after 8 a.m . Holmes faces 166 counts, almost all alleging murder or attempted murder. A 21-year-old man with connections to his alleged victims was arrested and jailed on murder charges following the discovery of three . Booking photos for (from left) Master Martin, Jesus Mendoz-Prudente and Jerome Johnson. . The perpetrator's first trial for Smith's case took place in October 2021. [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. A Kane County jury Thursday convicted an Aurora man of murdering a man he suspected belonged to a rival gang. [55] Four people's eyes were irritated by the tear gas grenades, while eight others sustained non-gunshot injuries while fleeing the theater. Investigators interviewed Martinez after reading him his Miranda Rights and he told them he picked up Kaden after he got off work on Friday, Dec. 9 around 5 p.m. 26. 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. On March 22, an unknown gunman was seen on livestream rampaging through a grocery store with an AR-15-style rifle in Boulder, Colorado. This post examines a series of unsolved attacks and murders that occurred in January, 1984 in the Lakewood suburb of Denver, Colorado. DENVER - An Arapahoe County jury on Friday found 60-year-old Alex Ewing guilty of killing three members of an Aurora family with a hammer in January 1984 in a case that went cold until DNA evidence linked him to the murders in 2018. [109][110] Formal sentencing began on August 24 and was expected to last for three days. [41][42] One day after the shooting, officials disarmed an explosive device that was wired to the apartment's front door, allowing a remote-controlled robot to enter and disable other explosives. [50], Twelve fatalities were reported along with 70 injuries. 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. [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. He denied telling his grandma that and asked for an attorney. Now investigators are working to determine whether a Nevada convict named Alex Christopher Ewing is that man. [3] The massacre was the deadliest shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. [87], On May 7, an FBI agent displayed pieces of evidence at the trial, including Holmes' body armor, an arsenal of weapons, unfired ammunition, and a helmet with strands of his dyed orange hair. Those pieces of evidence would turn out to hold the key to an arrest but not until years later, when DNA technology improved. Days earlier, on Jan. 4, 1984, someone slipped inside an Aurora home and used a hammer to beat a couple, who both survived. [7] Police said that Holmes bought a ticket, entered the theater, and sat in the front row. The Bennetts were dressed for bed when they were attacked. He is accused of opening fire in a movie theater July 20, 2012, in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 70. Though it was difficult to see the kaleidoscopic colours with the naked eye due to light pollution . Twelve people were killed and 70 injured. [147] The song was sold for donations that went to a fund for the victims. [149] Cinemark closed the entire Century Aurora 16 multiplex in the wake of the shooting but reopened January 17, 2013, with a 40-minute ceremony led by Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, followed by a showing of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. [16], Holmes reportedly threw one canister towards the left[17] side of the theatre, emitting a gas or smoke, that partially obscured the audience members' vision, made their throats and skin itch, and caused eye irritation. Both parents were bludgeoned with a hammer, and the attacker also used a knife. At the time, the event had the largest number of victims (82) in one shooting in modern U.S. Stephen Redfearn, one of the first police officers to arrive on the scene, sent victims to area hospitals in squad cars. The life sentences will be served consecutively. [146], Hans Zimmer, who composed the soundtrack for The Dark Knight Rises, recorded a choral song entitled "Aurora" in honor of the victims. She installed an alarm system. Some witnesses thought he was wearing a costume, like other audience members who had dressed up for the screening. Henry from the My Corona series.". [105] On July 30, Holmes' lawyers made a final appeal to the jurors, urging them to consider mental illness in his sentencing despite their rejection of the insanity defense used in the trial. At first the judge ordered a delinquency charge but the Colorado Supreme Court ordered the murder charge reinstated. Gun sales increased in Colorado, and political debates were generated about gun control in the United States. Walker is a former FBI profiler who worked on the case of a hammer killer responsible for four Aurora and Lakewood murders in 1984. Earlier this year, he was found guilty of first-degree murder of Patricia. 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. The Aurora Police Department . [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". [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. APD informed the family of its findings. The series is told from . James Holmes was another of the Colorado serial killers. [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. He stayed until 9:50 then hid in a bathroom until after closing, emerging around 10:05. About 20 minutes into the film, he left theater 9 through an emergency exit door beside the movie screen, with direct . Reports state that according to the 1984 sentencing law, although Alex Ewing was serving up to 40 years in prison after his initial arrest in Nevada that year, he could have been eligible for parole after 20 years. [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 March 3, 1967, Charles Brett Lange was found legally insane & sent to the Colorado State Hospital instead of prison. 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). But it doesnt seem like that long ago, because its so vivid in my mind.. 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. Two "very young" children and a woman who . [134] Warner Bros. reportedly made a "substantial" donation to Colorado's Community First Foundation to benefit victims. She still struggles to speak about the details of the attack, and chokes up when she thinks of the assault and murder of Melissa, whom she said was a sweet little girl. Debra was a family-focused woman who enjoyed spending time with her aunts in Lakewood, Connie said. Thirty-seven-and-a-half years ago, Connie, now 87, said Wednesday. The familys youngest daughter, 3-year-old Vanessa Bennett, was brutally attacked but survived. . Joseph Castorena, a 21-year-old man who police . DNA evidence ties Ewing to the crime. 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. Cesar J. Ponce, 19 . Shes been a reporter since 2012, focused on criminal justice. [151], Soon after the shooting, police departments and cinemas across the United States and around the world increased security for fear of copycat incidents. [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. [10][11] About 30 minutes into the movie, police say, around 12:30a.m.,[12] he reentered the theater through the exit door. 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. Shelly Bradbury is the courts reporter at the Denver Post. (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. [78] Prosecutors alleged on August 24, 2012, that Holmes told a classmate he wanted to kill people four months before the shooting. The victim's ranged in age from 20 to 65 and Mayor Sam . Connie discovered her sons body the next morning, on Jan. 16, 1984. Booking photos for (from left) Dakota Chinnock, Demajhea Tuggle and Treyvion Simpson. [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. Sgt. Face of the man accused of 1984 Hammer Attack Triple Murder in Aurora & Lakewood Murder. He then dragged Marisol into the bedroom with Estancia and shot them. Colorado hammer killer, aka Alex Ewing, was found guilty in the Bennetts' and Patricia Smith's murder cases in 2021 and 2022, respectively. . [67][68][69], The Community First Foundation collected more than $5 million for a fund for victims and their families. All I want in my older years is some peace and quiet and some tranquility of some kind.. [102][103] On July 23, the jury ruled that Holmes acted in a cruel manner, was lying in wait, and ambushed his victims during the shooting, which constitute as aggravating factors. Asked one of her surviving sons to move in with her. He could have been eligible for parole this year, if DNA had not connected him to the Colorado killings. [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. It began on January 7. 1993 Aurora, Colorado shooting Location 12293 East Iliff Avenue, Aurora, Colorado, US Date December 14, 1993 10:00 p.m. (MST) Attack type Mass shooting, armed robbery Weapon.25-caliber semi-automatic pistol Deaths 4 Injured 1 Perpetrator Nathan Dunlap Motive Revenge for being fired from Chuck E. Cheese's On December 14, 1993, four employees were shot and killed and a fifth employee was . Your chance of being a victim of murder in Aurora may be as high as 1 in 33,918 in the north neighborhoods, or as low as 1 in 45,558 in the . 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 . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. [91][92] On May 27, Dr. William Reid, a court-appointed psychiatrist, testified that Holmes was mentally ill but legally sane. The violence against cops in this country shows no signs of slowing down. January 16, 1984: Bennett family is attacked in their Aurora, Colorado home with 3 out of the 4 family members murdered by an intruder wielding a hammer. 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 . 9:00AM. Authorities are searching for a suspect in an overnight shooting that left four people dead at a home in Aurora. Kaden does not live at that residence and it was his first time at the location, the affidavit said. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Holmes was dressed in black and wore a gas mask, a load-bearing vest, a ballistic helmet, bullet-resistant leggings, a bullet-resistant throat protector, a groin protector, and tactical gloves. [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 disclosure was made at a court hearing in Centennial, Colorado, where news media organizations asked a judge to unseal court documents in the case. She declined to talk to TV news reporters or put Vanessas picture on the news. Most egregious was the 2019 police murder of 23-year-old Elijah McClain, a black man who died after . [157] Security Director News raised the possibility in a July 23 article that "the massacre could be a Virginia Tech for movie theaters, causing security to become a bigger part of the conversation and more stringent security procedures to be adopted at theaters across the country. [37], Following his arrest, Holmes was initially jailed at the Arapahoe County Detention Center, under suicide watch. [20] Ambulances were hindered by chaos and congestion in the parking lot, and they were unable to reach the back of the complex where police had pulled the injured out through the emergency exit doors of Theatre 9. His DNA almost immediately matched with the evidence in the Colorado killings. But investigators didnt find a match until 2018, when Ewings DNA was uploaded into a national database, five years after Nevada enacted a state law that required mandatory DNA collection for people convicted of certain crimes. After a 11-day hiatus, he attacked Roy Williams at his home in Kingman, Arizona, using a rock. The accused was then charged with first-degree murder of the Bennetts - Bruce, Debra, and Melissa - and Patricia Smith in 2021 and 2022, respectively. She miscarried a week after the attack. Booking photos for (from left) Emily Strunk, Dontavious Hetzel and Kevin Wertin. [135], Christopher Nolan, the film's director, spoke on behalf of his cast and crew and called the event "savage" and "devastating". [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". [38] The police interviewed more than 200 witnesses of the shooting. recess on the first day of his Aurora Hammer Murder trial July 27 at the Arapahoe County Courthouse . [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. [28], At about 12:45a.m., police officer Jason Oviatt apprehended Holmes[11][29] behind the cinema, next to his car, without resistance. Michael Roberts March 30, 2022 8:13AM. [8] There were about 400 people inside theater 9. . Prosecutors dropped their request for access to the notebook on September 20, 2012. Shooting Suspect is Mentally ill", "Prosecutors: Colo. suspect James Holmes made threat in March", "Aurora prosecutors drop fight for James Holmes' notebook", "Colorado Theater Shooting Lawyers Head Back to Court", "Aurora theater shooting: Cops took pill bottles from Holmes' apartment", "Aurora cinema massacre suspect James Holmes offers to plead guilty", "James Holmes prosecutors seek death penalty against Aurora suspect", "Judge considering another James Holmes trial delay", "Details emerge about jury picked for Colorado theater shooting trial", Colorado movie gunman not faking psychosis, defense witness says, "Facts, emotions take turn at Colorado theater shooting trial", "Aurora theater trial jurors see James Holmes' evidence", "Aurora movie theater shooting: Attorneys who'll be trying to prove James Holmes' guilt or innocence", "Aurora theater shooting notebook details aired for first time", "James Holmes' notebook read to jury in Colorado movie massacre trial", "Psychiatrist: Colorado shooter knew what he was doing", "Second psychiatrist concludes Colorado cinema gunman was sane", "Judge in Colorado theater shooting trial dismisses 3rd juror", "Theater shooter's ex asked him to see therapist", "Judge dismisses fifth juror in Colorado movie theater shooting trial", "Movie theater gunman says he will not testify", "Defense in Colorado theater shooting trial rests its case", "James Holmes Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder in Colorado Theater Mass Shooting, Shows No Reaction", "James Holmes guilty of murder in Aurora theater shooting", "Colorado death penalty in focus as massacre trial enters new phase", "James Holmes jury find aggravating factors exist, moves on to second phase", "Father of Colorado movie gunman pleads with jury for his life", "James Holmes Defense Make Final Appeal For Mercy", "James Holmes moves closer to death penalty verdict", "Why James Holmes Is a Step Closer to Facing the Death Penalty", "Theater shooting verdict: James Holmes sentenced to life in prison", "James Holmes sentenced to life in prison in the Aurora theater shooting", "Aurora movie theater shooter James Holmes to be sentenced to life in prison", "WATCH LIVE: Day 2 in the sentencing of Aurora theater shooting gunman", "Tearful Vigils Remember Victims of Aurora Massacre", "Obama Colorado Shooting Proclamation: Flags To Be Flown at Half Staff for Victims", "Obama, Romney pull Colorado ads off air in wake of Aurora shooting", "Obama, Romney express condolences for Colorado shooting victims", "Aurora shooting: Obama says all US stands with victim", "Obama Consoles Aurora as City Begins Healing", "After Aurora shootings, Obama Again Takes on Role as Healer in Chief in Colorado", "President Barack Obama Visits Aurora Victims' Families and Survivors", "Message of condolence following recent tragic events in the USA, 20 July 2012", "Communiqu Fusillade dans un cinma amricain", "PM Netanyahu Sends Condolence Letter to US President Barack Obama Following the Massacre in Aurora, Colorado", "Condolences to US President Barack Obama", "Pope Promises Prayers for Denver Victims", "Dark Knight Rises Director Christopher Nolan Breaks Silence on 'Unbearably Savage' Colorado Shooting", "Warner Bros. Cancels 'Dark Knight Rises' Premieres in Mexico and Japan", "Batman film Marketing Campaign Scaled Down in Finland", "Batman-elokuvan nettikampanja keskeytettiin Suomessa", "In Wake of Shooting, 'The Dark Knight Rises' Won't Report Early Box Office Figures", "Warner Bros. Said to Pull Some TV Ads for 'Dark Knight', "Box office Update: Studios Not Releasing Numbers Today", "Warner Bros. To Make 'Substantial' Donation to Colorado Shooting Victims", "Christopher Nolan on Theater Shooting: 'I Would Like to Express Our Profound Sorrow', "Dark Knight Rises Shooting: Christian Bale Visits Victims in Hospital", "Colorado Rockies pay visit to Aurora shooting survivors and hospital staff", "Gangster Squad Trailer Yanked from Internet, Dark Knight Rises Following Colorado Shooting", "Warner Bros Pulls Trailer of Gangster Shooting Up Movie Theater", "Out of respect for grieving families, "Gangster Squad" scene refilmed after Aurora theater shootings", "BATMAN INC No. Alex Ewing, 60, was charged with first-degree murder in the Bennett family killing in 2018, after his DNA was matched to genetic material collected from the crime scenes at the Bennetts home. Dressed in tactical clothing, 24-year-old James Holmes set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms. Five men Jonathan Blunk, John Larimer, Matt McQuinn, Jesse Childress, and Alexander C. Teves died protecting their girlfriends or friends. [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. DNA evidence ties Ewing to the crime. 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. She was hospitalized in a coma with serious facial injuries that left her paralyzed on her left side, Connie said. ", "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.
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