Schizophrenia expert testifies in Colorado theater shooting

On the 44th day of the Aurora theater shooting trial, Dr. Raquel Gur gave the defense’s most powerful argument for why Holmes was insane when he killed 12 people on July 20, 2012.

Dr. Raquel Gur, however, did not take detailed notes about her interactions with James Holmes and documented them in a sparse, 15-page report.

“The severe defect in his brain made him not capable of distinguishing right from wrong”, she said.

The defense is making a final push to convince jurors that Holmes was in the grips of a psychotic episode during the attack.

The prosecution has repeatedly highlighted Holmes’ intelligence and the detailed planning that went into the attack.

“I don’t mean to argue, but it’s not that simple”, Gur said.

In two days of questioning by defense lawyer Daniel King, Gur said Holmes’ thoughts about killing other people had become an uncontrollable storm in his mind in the months before the attack. His coping mechanisms – playing video games and focusing on academics – disintegrated after he started a neuroscience graduate program at the University of Colorado.

Instead, Gur, a psychiatrist who teaches and conducts research on schizophrenia at the University of Pennsylvania, said she summarized her observations to provide a clear overview of Holmes’ mental state. He asked her to explain a sentence referencing Holmes’ theory that he can increase his self-worth by killing others.

She scolded people in the gallery for laughing when she used the example of an attorney to demonstrate the difficulties that come with recognizing psychotic symptoms.

Another psychiatrist called by the defense, Dr. Jonathan Woodcock, testified two weeks ago that he, too, found Holmes insane at the time of the attack.

Gur, who once examined Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and Arizona mass shooter Jared Loughner and has published some 400 peer-reviewed papers, met Holmes in jail for six sessions totaling 28 hours between December 2012 and August 2014.

District Attorney George Brauchler pummeled the defense’s last psychiatric expert over his qualifications and methods and it seems clear Brauchler will do anything he can trip up Gur and make the jurors question her expertise and judgment.

But for the first time, the jury on Tuesday heard a description of Holmes none of the other doctors said they witnessed.

“This is not purposeful behavior, it’s freaky behavior”, she said.

Still, Gur said, Holmes hasn’t been cured of his schizophrenia.

She never saw him react that way again. In his mind, Holmes had a mission to kill lots of people.

Gur said schizophrenia is often misdiagnosed as depression because patients sometimes don’t share details about their psychosis.

Holmes’ defense asked Gur to evaluate him in the months after the July 2012 shooting.

Gur said she generally believes that, but doesn’t believe it applies to her. “It was something he did not consider – the reaction of people and family members”.

While she did not deny writing the sentence, she claimed Brauchler had taken it out of context. What appeared to be overzealous answers to King’s questions quickly turned into forceful interjections during Brauchler’s characterizations.

Brauchler’s cross examination of Gur was scheduled to continue Wednesday. At times, she apologized for being “harsh” when she told Brauchler that he was incorrect.

Even after an hour-long “lightning round” during which Brauchler listed items Gur did not include in her notes and report, she forcefully upheld her findings.