"Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast"
-Oscar Wilde		 Brilliant at Breakfast title banner "The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth, shall be watered also himself."
-- Proverbs 11:25
"...you have a choice: be a fighting liberal or sit quietly. I know what I am, what are you?" -- Steve Gilliard, 1964 - 2007

"For straight up monster-stomping goodness, nothing makes smoke shoot out my ears like Brilliant@Breakfast" -- Tata

"...the best bleacher bum since Pete Axthelm" -- Randy K.

"I came here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum." -- "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (1954-2015), They Live
Friday, July 27, 2012

I may have been right after all
Posted by Jill | 6:58 PM
When I posted earlier this week about the Aurora shootings, I noted that my first thought after hearing about James Holmes was "schizophrenia". Looks like I may have been right:
The suspected Batman movie premiere gunman was seeing a university psychiatrist specializing in schizophrenia before the shooting that killed 12, court documents showed Friday.

James Holmes sent a notebook to Lynne Fenton, who teaches at the University of Colorado’s medical school and heads student mental services there, that included details and drawings depicting his planned mass killing, according to reports.

It was unclear when the package reached the school, and officials remained tight-lipped due to a gag order imposed by the judge overseeing the case.

[snip]

In a preview of likely battles to come, the defense lawyers argued that the contents of the package should not be used as evidence because “Mr Holmes was a psychiatric patient of Dr Fenton, and his communications with her are protected.”

Holmes, who was studying neuroscience in a doctoral program at the University of Colorado Denver, is expected to be charged with 12 murders and 58 attempted murders at his next court appearance on Monday, when he is due to be formally charged over the July 20 shooting.

Sylvester granted a hearing on the defense motion also be held on that day.

Fenton’s research focuses on schizophrenia and other major mental illnesses.

Labels: ,

1 comments
Bookmark and Share
1 Comments:
Blogger Melina said...
This is gonna make the revenge lobby crazy.

When I saw him in the courtroom with that orange hair and those wild eyes, it seemed so clear that this guy was a total insane case. A psychiatrist that I know said "schizophrenia...textbook case"

Even though people are still voicing their revenge and saying that he should be in Jail forever, or lets resurrect the death penalty in Co. just for this, I felt kinda sorry for him.
He seems confused and its clear that he has some real pathology that will call for a serious mental hospital.
How can we prevent sick people from getting guns and ammo? I dont know; but it seems like having more of a waiting time or at least a ban on assault weapons might give the sane people out here, just trying to catch a movie, some wisp of a chance.
The point is not to prevent the gun lobby from having their guns but taking into account that in a modern society with many millions of people, there needs to be some further time lapse so that the paperwork can catch up...and even then, still you will have some guy like this out there who will be hell bent on blowing something up with a homemade bomb (Tim McVeigh, anyone?)
I feel terrible mostly for the brave people who died, and the many survivors who immediately acted bravely in the face of unthinkable terror. But I also feel bad for the Dr in this case, who couldn't stop him and probably had tied hands until he actually tried something. But also, I feel bad for this guy, because he is helpless in his mind and he may one day come to, if they can medicate and treat him, and he wont be able to live with what he has done....
No one wins in this situation. But having these kinds of weapons available makes it easier for a guy like this to mow down more people than he would have with a smaller gun or a homemade weapon.

I dont think this guy will see the light of day; a mental hospital for the criminally insane is no day at the park.
But those people out there who want a pound of flesh are barking up the wrong tree...he is by us, of us, and our responsibility, just like every other needy person with a serious medical problem. We don't kill mentally ill people in our society. And now its for sure....he is ours and we will be taking care of him forever. This is who we are.
7/27/12, 7:27 PM  
Post a Comment
<< Home