James Eagan Holmes and the Aurora massacre
As I write this, we know very little about the suspect in the Aurora, CO, movie massacre that took place overnight between Thursday and Friday. There are some pieces of this puzzle that suggest that this was far from a random act. And… I would suggest that it was a horrifying science experiment.
Holmes left his graduate studies a few weeks ago. Some news reports suggest he was collecting unemployment. It would appear that money would be tight for this young man. Yet… he spent thousands of dollars on preparations for the murders he committed. The guns alone would have cost about two thousand dollars. The body armor? Another two grand or so. Lots of money.
He had been preparing for these actions for some time. He took the time to plan, and to obtain the materials he needed.
Body armor? People who commit massacres don’t buy body armor. Columbine, Virginia Tech, the massacre in Norway, the shootings at Fort Hood. People who commit mass murder appear to make few plans for afterwards, and many take their own lives. Holmes wore a suit that was designed to protect him.
What if the body armor functioned, for James Holmes, just as a protective suit shields researchers studying a deadly microbe? It was worn to protect him as he conducted his experiment.
He shot about 70 people and then surrendered peacefully to police. He told police that his apartment was booby trapped. He was in control.
The apartment may or may not be a ruse. It is a way for Holmes to exercise control and create observable data. Throughout the entire process from planning to execution to the aftermath, Holmes has been observing the lab rats in the maze.
His mass murders lack many of the traits of the others we know so well. As horrible as it may sound, the events of the last day may represent an experiment by a brilliant neuroscientist with no more concern for people than a researcher has for his rats. This was not the act of a man striking out against an unjust universe, as so many mass murderers do. This was Mengele in the death camp, not Seung-Hui Cho at Virginia Tech.
This entry was posted on Friday, July 20th, 2012 at 10:58 pm and is filed under Original writing, Commentary, Crime and Punishment, Original writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
I want to ask something that I’ve only heard rumor of. Is it true that after the shooting the suspect applied bandages to some of those with fatal wounds?
As for the supposition, I believe the man was speaking symbolically with his act, however it is hard to analyze it in a sterile way with the greif so palpable at the moment.
Every now and again, humanity produces this kind of person. He is no doubt unique in his reasoning as well a symptom of some other issue in society (in the same way the Joker was an inevitable product of Gotham).
Interesting commentary, Chuck. It’s a reflection of your character that you refrained from speculating like even the big media outlets are as we speak. I doubt your theory is that far off.
One of the first things I wondered this morning when I heard the news was why he didn’t attempt to take his own life.
Great piece, my friend. Terrible story but thank you for keeping it civil and non-partisan unlike so many others have already.