Colorado movie rampage prosecutor grills expert on insanity finding
By Keith Coffman
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (Reuters) - A psychiatrist who found Colorado movie massacre gunman James Holmes legally insane faced withering cross-examination for a second day on Friday as prosecutors hammered at his conclusion, which the defense hopes will save their client from the death penalty.
Jonathan Woodcock examined Holmes in jail on behalf of the defense four days after the former neuroscience graduate student killed a dozen people and wounded 70 at a crowded theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora. On Thursday, Woodcock testified as the defense's first expert witness that Holmes, now 27, was severely mentally ill at the time, suffering psychosis and delusions.
District Attorney George Brauchler disputed that diagnosis as he resumed his hours-long cross-examination. He asked Woodcock why he had not video recorded his encounter with Holmes.
He also asked why Woodcock did not watch all 22 hours of video interviews conducted later by one of two court-appointed psychiatrists who found Holmes to be sane. The prosecutor noted that jurors have seem them.
Holmes is charged with murder and attempted murder for opening fire with an automatic rifle, shotgun and pistol inside a packed midnight premiere of a Batman film. Before leaving for the theater, he had rigged his apartment with explosives that were later defused by a police bomb squad.
He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Woodcock repeatedly defended himself from often-contentious questioning. He argued that he believes his conclusions about the defendant's mental state were well-supported by the thousands of pages of reports in the case he has read since.
Asked by Brauchler whether Holmes could "act with an awareness" that his conduct would end up killing people in the theater and possibly his apartment building, the psychiatrist replied: "That was the core of his delusion."
Woodcock added: "That's the point about the psychosis. He didn't have an independent awareness ... His behavior was, in my opinion, determined by this delusional system."
The prosecution says Holmes is a methodical mass killer who hid his preparations for the massacre and carried it out because he had lost his career, his girlfriend and his purpose in life.
Defense lawyers say Holmes suffers from schizophrenia, has long heard voices in his head ordering him to kill, and was not in control of his actions.
Prosecutors wrapped up their case a week ago after calling more than 200 witnesses including first responders, survivors, bomb experts, and crime scene technicians.
The defense has said its case will last two weeks, a quarter of the time taken by the prosecution.
(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Daniel Wallis and David Gregorio)
