Colorado massacre suspect heads to court as Batman mask, poster found at apartment

Colorado massacre suspect heads to court as Batman mask, poster found at apartment

By Adam Housley
Published July 23, 2012
FoxNews.com
AURORA, Colo. – The suspected gunman in a massacre at a Colorado movie theater heads to court Monday as investigators reveal he is refusing to cooperate.
24-year-old James Holmes, who is accused of killing 12 and injuring 58 in a shooting massacre at a packed theater of moviegoers watching the premiere of the latest Batman movie, will be moved to a courtroom for a 9:30 a.m. MDT hearing where the charges against him of suspicion of first degree murder will be read.

Holmes has "lawyered up," and will not speak to investigators, Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said Sunday.
"He's not talking to us," the chief said.
Also Sunday, investigators searching Holmes' apartment found multiple Batman-related items. A law enforcement source confirms to Fox News investigators seized a Batman poster and a mask connected to the Batman movies from Holmes' apartment, though they did not say which character the mask was of.
A law enforcement official told The Associated Press the mask found was a Batman mask. Investigators also took multiple other items from the apartment, including a computer tower.
A law enforcement source says in addition to multiple booby traps and ammunition, officials also removed 10 gallons of gas ready to explode.
"The idea was...he wanted to burn this place down," the source said. "And the gas would have made that fast."
Agents say they believe the person who opened the door would have been killed, setting off a fire storm that could have trapped people inside the building in the middle of the night.
Ben, a student who lives two floors below Holmes, tells Fox News he only saw Holmes twice since living in the building. He said Holmes was quiet, and kept to himself.
Officials at the University of Colorado, where Holmes was a Ph.D. student until recently dropping out, were looking Sunday into whether Holmes used his position in a graduate program to collect hazardous materials.
While the university disclosed that it was cooperating with police in the case, that disclosure was one of the few it has made three days after the massacre. It remained unclear whether Holmes' professors and other students at his 35-student Ph.D. program noticed anything unusual about his behavior.
His reasons for quitting the program in June, just a year into the five- to seven-year program, also remained a mystery.
Holmes recently took an intense, three-part oral exam that marks the end of the first year. Those who do well continue with their studies and shift to full-time research, while those who don't do well meet with advisers and discuss their options, including retaking the exam. University officials would not say if he passed, citing privacy concerns.
The university said Holmes gave no reason for his withdrawal, a decision he made in June.
Holmes was not allowed access from the institution after his withdrawal, which was "standard operating procedure" because he was no longer affiliated with the school, Montgomery said. Holmes had no contact with university police, she said.