Campus Banned James Holmes for Threats Before Aurora Shooting

On Thursday the prosecution in the case against alleged Colorado theater shooter James Holmes gave its most detailed picture yet about what was happening in Holmes' life when he allegedly burst into a theater and opened fire on July 20. According to the Denver Post's write up, Holmes was banned from the University of Colorado campus where he was enrolled in a neuroscience PhD program after making threats in June, right around the time he failed some key oral exams. His professors "urged Holmes to get into another line of work" after the flameout and before the shooting, The Associated Press's Solomon Banda reports. All this came out as prosecutors argued they should be given access to Holmes' school records on Thursday. "Prosecutor Karen Pearson suggested that the 'dissatisfaction in his life' is relevant to what happened on July 20, when twelve people were killed and 58 wounded at a midnight showing of the new Batman movie," reports Melanie Asmar for the alt-weekly Westword, but defense attorneys say prosecutors are on a "fishing expedition" for information about Holmes.

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For the best in-depth look at what happens next in this process, read John Ingold and Jessica Fender's coverage in the Denver Post, which explains how Thursday's hearing was basically a precursor to a higher stakes fight next Thursday. "The prize is an item that could be the biggest clue to the planning and motivation behind the theater attack: A notebook Holmes reportedly mailed to his psychiatrist at the University of Colorado in the days before the shooting." Holmes' attorneys say the notebook, which reportedly describes an attack plan in detail, should be witheld from evidence because it is protected by doctor-patient privilege.