|
 And a third said he ought to complete a PhD and do something
"amazing for humanity" while he serves life in prison, or be put to
death for his July 2012 rampage.
Stacie McQuinn, whose step-son Matthew was murdered, wrote in a
statement that the 27-year-old mass killer should receive no visits
or contact from family or friends.
"We are unable to visit our loved ones, and unable to hug them, give
a kiss, hold their hand," she said in the statement, which was read
by a prosecutor.
"We are unable to pick up the phone and say 'Hi, how are you doing?'
We are unable to write them ... So the defendant should not be able
to have any of those things."
About 80 victims of Holmes' attack on a packed midnight screening of
a Batman film at a Denver-area multiplex are testifying during a
three-day formal sentencing hearing.
 Holmes was found guilty last month of murdering 12 people and
wounding 70. The jury did not reach a unanimous decision on whether
he should be executed, meaning the former neuroscience graduate
student received a dozen automatic life sentences.
Many of those who have spoken since the hearing began on Monday
thanked the prosecutors and Arapahoe District Court Judge Carlos
Samour for how they handled the months-long trial.
Arlene and Bob Holmes, who had testified that their son's
schizophrenia drove his actions, hugged one of the younger victims,
Jansen Young, in a corridor outside the courtroom. Young, who was
sitting with someone who died, had suggested in her testimony that
Holmes should allow himself to be studied by mental illness experts.
[to top of second column] |
The judge did take issue on Monday with comments by one victim,
Kathleen Pourciau, who said the gunman should not have been spared.
"The message is that the state of Colorado values the life of a mass
murderer more than the lives of those he murdered," said Pourciau,
whose daughter Bonnie Kate was wounded.
Samour defended the jury's decision.
"Justice was done in this case not because of the outcome, but
because of the process," he said.
When another victim suggested a juror opposed to Holmes' execution
must have concealed an anti-death penalty stance during the
selection process, the judge rejected the allegation and said there
was no evidence anyone on the panel had been "deceptive or did
anything improper."
(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Daniel Wallis and David
Gregorio)
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