James Holmes, the man accused of shooting and killing 12 people and injuring 58 others in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater in July, applied to graduate school at Kansas University before being accepted to a neuroscience program at the University of Colorado, Denver, according to records obtained by the Des Moines Register.
James E. Holmes appears in Arapahoe County District Court, Monday, July 23, 2012, in Centennial, Colo. Holmes is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, and could also face additional counts of aggravated assault and weapons violations stemming from a mass shooting last Friday in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., that killed 12 and injured dozens of others.
The records released by the University of Iowa, show that Holmes applied to five other graduate schools besides Iowa: KU, Texas A&M University, the University of Michigan, the University of Alabama and the University of Colorado.
A University of Iowa spokesman told the Register that even though student records are protected by federal law, the university was able to release Holmes’ records because he was never admitted as a student.
A professor at the University of Iowa emphatically recommended against Holmes’ admission to the program, the documents show.
“Do NOT offer admission under any circumstances,” wrote the professor, Daniel Tranel.
The Journal-World filed an open records request on Friday seeking access to the records pertaining to Holmes’ admission application to KU.
Jill Jess, a university spokeswoman, said on Friday morning that she could not comment on the situation nor could she confirm that Holmes applied to KU. University officials were trying to determine Friday morning how to respond to the request for information, she said.
Comments
Matthew Herbert 1 year, 7 months ago
If someone littered Hollywood Theatres with bullet holes, would you be able to tell a difference?
willyj 1 year, 7 months ago
Holmes would've been right at home at KU/Lawrence. Nutty as a fruitcake and dangerous too. They seem to gravitate toward the Little Blue Island.
toe 1 year, 7 months ago
KU should strive to be included in lists that do not include Iowa and Alabama. Shameful.
oneeye_wilbur 1 year, 7 months ago
Does Fred Phelps like to go to movies?
KUinAussie 1 year, 7 months ago
its a shame no one asks pertinent questions like:
why does the media images of holmes not look anything like the pics posted after the initial incident.
how did a science nerd learn how to booby trap an apartment that takes two days for the fed's to dismantle.
why while holmes was IN CUSTODY, were the police looking for a suspect in a blue and white t-shirt.
who called holmes in the theater just before the rampage, and who the hell threw the smoke grenade on the opposite side of the theater...
i dare you to watch this video and have the same feelings afterwards regarding this tragedy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk6OOv....
(ill give you a hint: incidents like these are being allowed to happen (obviously red flags were raised even before the incident.) without these events, just as without 9/11 there would be no war in the middle east), the government doesnt have the public support to enact things like: gun control.)
Pitt_Mackeson 1 year, 7 months ago
offend* HA look at me! Correcting my own grammar. Somebody call Oxford!
Pitt_Mackeson 1 year, 7 months ago
My comments weren't posted to agitate or offence anybody. Just putting my two cents in. Hatred gets us nowhere. What's important is remembering those who where killed and being thankful that it wasn't even worse than it was. God Bless America and LJworld.
Eddie_Haskell 1 year, 7 months ago
Why does everything that happens anywhere in the world have to have some connection to Lawrence? What a waste of time.
LawrenceTownie 1 year, 7 months ago
It's very apparent that the shooter was a very mentally sick person. He was caught up in his own delusions. Probably has schizophrenia, or another brain disorder, so will not be put to death. I feel very sorry for the Colorado victims, it will be hard for them to go to another theater I am sure. Probably lots of counseling in their futures.
FlintHawk 1 year, 7 months ago
Mr. or Ms. Pitt_Masterson's remarks are sad proof that violence begets violence — even if it's "just" talk on a message board. If he or she truly believes that a single armed movie-goer would have made a difference, he/she fails to understand what was happening inside the theater. Each of us grieves for the parents, spouses, siblings, friends of the fallen. But Masterson's bloody blusters serve no worthwhile purpose, other than to agitate.
g_rock 1 year, 7 months ago
I'm sorry for Colorado, but I sure the hell am glad he wasn't OUR problem!
Pitt_Mackeson 1 year, 7 months ago
The media needs to stop regurgitating this story. Attention is exactly what this freak wanted - for his name to be synonymous with the Batman movie. Wish he would've tripped on the way in and blown his own fool head off then the taxpayers would't have to pay for his death penalty or jail time.
MarcoPogo 1 year, 7 months ago
Has the LJW disappeareded his board profile/account yet?
Gotland 1 year, 7 months ago
It makes sense. Out liberal art universities are full of liberal lunatics.
Pitt_Mackeson 1 year, 7 months ago
I wish he had gone to KU and gone to the movie theaters here. I was at the midnight Batman showing and I had my CC Glock 22. He would have been the surprised one. Oh well.
nate cleveland 1 year, 7 months ago
this article is totally pointless. Why shed more light on a tragic event? What is the point of the article? No one really cares if he applied to KU. He wont be going there so why waste the time?
KEITHMILES05 1 year, 7 months ago
It is very doubtful the U of I professor is going to on record what he wrote. It'll be interesting if there was any such emphatic writing in other denial of admissions.
50YearResident 1 year, 7 months ago
Why is this idiot still called a "suspect", when he was caught red-handed, on the spot and identified by at least 50 people? When does a suspect cease to be a suspect and becomes the perpetrater?
Thomas Bryce 1 year, 7 months ago
I would like to know what the professor at Iowa knew about Holmes that would have him write a letter that said to deny him admission "under any circumstances".
chootspa 1 year, 7 months ago
A grad student applied to multiple schools? Shocking!
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