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A survivor of the Aurora movie theater shooting on Friday rebuffed pleas for clemency from the gunman’s parents and said the shooter must face the consequences of his actions.
Marcus Weaver, who was one of 58 people wounded by gunfire inside the Century Aurora 16 movie theater on July 20, 2012, was responding to a letter written by the parents of James Holmes and provided to The Denver Post on Thursday. In the letter, Holmes’ parents plead for their son to be spared from execution, saying that Holmes is mentally ill and in need of treatment.
In an e-mail to The Denver Post, Weaver wrote that he has forgiven Holmes for the shooting, which took the life of Weaver’s friend Rebecca Wingo as well as 11 others.
“But he will still have to answer to the people of Colorado for the horrific act that he carefully orchestrated,” Weaver wrote.
Holmes has been charged with murdering 12 people and trying to murder 70 more in the theater. His attorneys have not disputed that he committed the killings but have said he was insane at the time. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
DOCUMENT: Read the complete text of Robert and Arlene Holmes’ letter on their son.
Weaver also rejected the Holmeses’ advocacy for a plea deal that would avoid a trial and send their son to prison for the rest of his life. Robert and Arlene Holmes wrote that a trial in the case will cause unnecessary suffering for the victims.
Weaver wrote in his e-mail that he expects a trial to be difficult.
“But my hope is that it will (begin) closure for the many victims families and survivors still hurting,” he wrote. “This will be the 3rd Holidays without loved ones lost, it’s painful for both sides I would imagine.”
The Holmeses’ letter — in which they write of their son, “He is not a monster” — drew responses Friday from others who lost loved ones in the theater attack.
Caren Teves, whose son, Alex, was killed in the shooting, wrote on Twitter, “monster X 70. murderous monster X 12.” Sandy Phillips, whose daughter, Jessica Ghawi, also was killed, wrote on Twitter, “He was the executioner on 7/20. He is a Monster!”
In his e-mail, Weaver wrote that — if Holmes wants to avoid trial — he should plead guilty without preconditions and “just face the truth.”
The letter, Weaver wrote, “is a plea to live. But think about the victims. Did they have a chance for life?”
John Ingold: 303-954-1068, jingold@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johningold
