James Holmes' Mother Denies Knowing Her Son Would Be The Shooter
Arlene Holmes - mother of Colorado movie theatre shooter, James Holmes, - had no idea her son was accused of being the gunman until she was hours later contacted by a reporter for a statement, the family lawyer announced on July 23.
At a news conference held in San Diego, Lisa Damiani, the family's lawyer, stated that after the shooting on Friday, Arlene received a 5 a.m. photo call from ABC News asking if she was the mother of James Holmes. The network reported that she told them "her son was likely the alleged culpit, saying, 'You have the right person.'" The ABC article also claimed that "she immediately expressed concern her son may be involved in the shooting death of at least 12 people overnight."
The family's lawyer announced that ABC News was wrong in their report and misconstrued Arlene's words. Damiani read a statement at Monday's hearing written by Arlene, stating that Holmes' mother was talking about herself when she said "you have the right person," with no reference to her son.
"[The reporter] asked if I was Arlene Holmes and if my son was James Holmes who lives in Aurora, Colorado. I answered 'yes, you have the right person.' I was referring to myself," the statement read. Arlene also claims that at the time of the pre-dawn phone call, she was not even aware of the shooting that had occurred and that her son was involved in.
ABC is sticking to their report but said that there is no audio recording of the reporter asking Holmes about her son and informing her about the mass killing that he was being linked to, according to WPTV.
James Holmes' apartment in Aurora was wired with explosives, according to officials who went to sweep the residence after the shooting. Bomb experts resorted to using a small remote-controlled detonation to prevent setting off any of the devices in the home, which would have made a blast large enough to consume the entire three-story building, according to Reuters.
ABC News did admit to a previous mistake they made in the Holmes case suggesting that a Jim Holmes from a Colorado Tea Party organization might have been the suspect in the shooting.
