James Holmes' mother blames son's actions at Dark Knight screening on mental illness

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Arlene Holmes took stand at her son's death penalty trial on Wednesday
She blamed James Holmes's actions on mental illness 'he didn't ask for'
Breaking down in tears, she said she still loved him despite attack
Also claimed psychiatrist failed to tell her about son's homicidal thoughts
Holmes's father Robert also testified for the first time, saying he did not know his son had been seeing university psychiatrist
Holmes, 27, has been convicted of all 165 counts relating to the shooting
Jury must decide whether to sentence him to death or life imprisonment
Shooting at Century 16 theater in 2012 left 12 dead and 70 injured

By Sophie Jane Evans For Dailymail.com and Reuters Reporter

Published: 18:04 EST, 29 July 2015 | Updated: 15:47 EST, 30 July 2015

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The mother of James Holmes - the gunman in the 2012 Dark Knight theater massacre - wept in court on Wednesday as she blamed her son's actions on a mental illness that 'he didn't ask for'.

Taking the stand, Arlene Holmes described a kind, polite child who had never hurt a soul before he opened fire inside a theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing a dozen moviegoers and injuring 70.

Breaking down in tears, she said she still loved her son despite his actions, saying: 'I understand he has a serious mental illness that he didn't ask for. Schizophrenia chose him. He didn't choose it.'

And she said she that had a university psychiatrist told her that Holmes was experiencing homicidal thoughts, she would have 'crawled on all fours' to stop him from committing the deadly attack.

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James Holmes's mother Arlene takes the stand (top right) as a photo of her son as a baby appears on screen

Tearful: Mrs Holmes (left) described Holmes (right, in his mug shot) as a kind, polite child who had never hurt a soul before he opened fire inside a theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing a dozen moviegoers and injuring 70

Speaking before the court in Arapahoe County, Colorado, Mrs Holmes recalled that just weeks prior to the shooting, a University of Colorado psychiatrist called her at home in San Diego, California.

In the call, which was made on June 11, 2012, the psychiatrist said her son had sought counseling for 'social anxiety' and was dropping out of his neuroscience graduate program, she said.

Defense lawyer Rebekka Higgs then asked whether the psychiatrist had told her that her son had admitted to having thoughts about killing people. 'No, never,' Holmes's mother replied tearfully.

'Do you wish she had?' Higgs asked.

'Of course I do. I ... of course,' said Mrs Holmes, who was testifying for the first time. 'We wouldn't be sitting here if she told me that. ... I would have been crawling on all fours to get to him.

'He's never said that he wanted to kill people. She didn't, she didn't tell me. She didn't tell me.'

Mrs Holmes added that she was surprised her son had used a semiautomatic rifle during the massacre, saying: 'We never had guns in the house. We never were hunters or target shooters.'

Holmes, 27, has already been convicted by the jury of nine women and three men on all 165 counts of murder, attempted murder and explosives charges in relation to the Century 16 theater attack.

Testimony: Mrs Holmes (pictured at the stand) told the court she still loved her son despite his massacre

Earlier on Wednesday, Holmes's father Robert also testified for the first time (top right), telling the penalty phase of the case how FBI agents quizzed him at an airport just hours after the massacre

Mr and Mrs Holmes have been present in court throughout their son's trial. Above, the couple are pictured walking away from the courtroom at the Arapahoe County Justice Center in Centennial on July 22

Prosecutors accuse Holmes of being a cold-blooded murderer who opened fire on moviegoers with the semiautomatic rifle, shotgun and pistol in the packed premiere with the aim of killing all 400.

They also say he hid his detailed preparations from everyone, including his parents.

However, the defense claimed the shooter - who had also rigged his home with bombs - suffers from schizophrenia and was, therefore, 'not capable' of differentiating between right and wrong.

Earlier this month, jurors rejected Holmes's plea of not guilty by reason of insanity in relation to the charges. They must now decide whether the murderer should be executed or serve life in prison.

The CU psychiatrist, Dr. Lynne Fenton, described meeting with Holmes several times when she was medical director for student mental health services at the university's Anschutz Medical Campus.

Testifying earlier in the trial, Fenton said Holmes had admitted to having homicidal thoughts, but had not told her anything about having plans or targets in relation to The Dark Knight Rises screening.

Prosecutors accuse Holmes (left) of wanting to kill all 400 people in the theater. Right: His mother is consoled by another woman as she leaves the courtroom in December last year

Jurors rejected Holmes's plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. They must now decide whether the shooter (pictured during his first court appearance in 2012) should be executed or serve life in prison

Nor did he mention hearing voices, or suffering from hallucinations, mania, or depression, she said, adding that if he had, she likely would have placed him on a mental health hold and alerted police.

Fenton has been sued by a victim's widow who says she had a duty to protect the public.

That lawsuit is on hold until after the trial.

Earlier on Wednesday, Holmes's father also testified for the first time, telling the penalty phase of the proceedings how FBI agents quizzed him at an airport just hours after the rampage.

He said the agents were interested in whether his son might be a 'terrorist'.

Trying to persuade jurors to spare his son's life, he added that he did not know Holmes was seeing a psychiatrist - and that he later entertained the possibility that he might have Asperger's syndrome.

Mr Holmes said that when he and his wife visited their son after his arrest, he 'was clearly messed up' - his eyes bulging and his pupils dilated. 'He told us he loved us, but I could see there was something really wrong with him,' the distraught father told the courtroom on Wednesday.

Sister: Chris Holmes (top right) is pictured testifying on Monday at her older brother's death penalty trial

Holmes and his younger sister, Chris, are pictured in a childhood photograph displayed in court

He also recalled that during a visit to his son about seven months before the attack, he noticed Holmes had an 'odd facial expression,' which he would later see in his son's chilling mug shot.

He said he noticed his son smiling and grimacing in December 2011. Immediately after the testimony, the defense showed the now-familiar mug shot of Holmes smirking at the camera.

Under questioning by prosecutors, Mr Holmes acknowledged his son didn't share much information with his family about his life in Colorado. He also acknowledged James Holmes had a 'distant' relationship with his sister, Chris Holmes, who testified on Holmes's behalf on Monday.

While Mr Holmes occasionally glanced at his son during his testimony, the two did not acknowledge each other until near the end of the day. Robert Holmes mouthed something at this son.

Holmes then waved slightly at him. They both smiled.

Mr and Mrs Holmes have been present in court throughout their son's trial, ABC 7 reported.

Holmes, 27, has already been convicted by the jury of nine women and three men on all 165 counts of murder, attempted murder and explosives charges in relation to the attack at the Century 16 theater (above)

Defense attorneys called the couple to testify on Wednesday as they try to convince the jury that any mitigating factors outweigh the aggravating factors that the panel ruled on last week.

Jurors will likely start deliberating on this phase by the weekend. If they unanimously decide that the mitigating factors outweigh the aggravating ones, Holmes will get an automatic life sentence.

If not, they will hear victim impact testimony.

They will then ultimately deliberate on whether the gunman should be executed.

Holmes did not take the stand during his two-and-a-half month trial. When asked by Judge Carlos A. Samour whether he would do so earlier this month, Holmes replied 'I choose not to testify'.

It comes just a week after another movie theater shooting occurred in Lafayette, Louisiana.

In that attack, gunman John Russell Houser, 59, opened fire on moviegoers at the city's Grand 16 movie theater, killing two women and injuring nine others. He later shot himself dead.