AURORA | State court officials this morning publicly released the notebook James Holmes mailed to his psychiatrist before the Aurora theater shooting — an item expected to be a crucial piece of evidence in Holmes’ death penalty trial.
Prosecutors introduced the spiral-bound notebook into evidence on Tuesday at the start of the fifth week of the Aurora theater shooting trial.
Holmes Sketchbook As A PDF
The notebook, which Holmes mailed to Dr. Lynne Fenton at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, is an important piece of evidence for both the prosecution and defense.
Prosecutors are expected to argue the detailed plans contained in it — including diagrams of the theater, lists of the pros and cons of particular theaters and a list of weapons — show Holmes’ mind was sound enough to plot an elaborate attack.
But the defense says other pages in the notebook show Holmes was descending into insanity, including pages where he discusses his mental health woes like bouts of catatonia and hair pulling.