The parents of James Holmes made a plea last week on this editorial page for their son’s life, and for the proposition that he is severely mentally ill.
But the statement by Robert and Arlene was also notably silent about matters that might help public understanding of the event — or at least the background to it — and of Holmes himself.
Was Holmes’ severe mental illness apparent for a long time before the attack on the Cinemark theater in 2012?
If so, what was done about it?
If not, what is it that makes them so sure about his condition in the run-up to the massacre?
The Holmeses certainly don’t have to convince us that execution is the wrong answer for the crimes their son is accused of committing, whether or not he is mentally ill. And they’re quite right that had the prosecution agreed to a deal, their son could have been given a sentence of life in prison, without parole, in exchange for a guilty plea. That would have shortcircuited a legal process that has already dragged on for 2 ½ years.
But this is hardly a new insight. The news last week was that Holmes’ parents spoke out, not anything that they actually said.
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