Court appearance fuels theories about Colorado shooting suspect

Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes' dazed demeanor during his first court appearance has given rise to a multitude of theories about his mental state, ranging from full-blown psychosis to little more than being "some freak," as one victim of the shooting rampage described him after the hearing.

Holmes, with bright orange-dyed hair, appeared to stare blankly off into space for much of the proceedings. At times, he closed his eyes and his head nodded as if he were falling asleep. At others, he opened his eyes wide and looked straight ahead. He never spoke.

Holmes is accused of donning head-to-toe protective gear and wielding at least three weapons to kill 12 people and wound 58 in a shooting rampage during an early Friday morning screening of the new Batman movie at a theater in Aurora, Colorado. Authorities say he also rigged a complex and deadly booby trap at his nearby apartment.

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After the attack, Holmes identified himself to police as "The Joker," Batman's archenemy.

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Some have speculated the 24-year-old Aurora man was heavily medicated during his initial court appearance Monday. Others have suggested he was in the midst of a psychotic breakdown and hearing voices. Others say he may have just been exhausted, or feigning mental illness to game the judicial system.

"He has no right to come into court looking like he has a sad face. It's not right," shooting survivor Corbin Dates said after the hearing. "The look that he has right now is not something that's going to be believable by anyone."

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Some psychologists, however, believe Holmes wasn't faking anything.

"In my opinion, he was heavily medicated," said Chicago clinical psychologist Daniela Schreier.

But she said an underlying mental health issue seems likely, as well.

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He may be a longtime psychopath who turned to violence to show the world he could make a lasting mark, she said. Or he could have suffered a psychotic breakdown as recently as this spring, triggering his decision to drop out of graduate school, start buying weapons and launch his attack amid paranoid delusions, she said.

But, she added, the medications he could have been on during the hearing likely masked his true nature.

Asked Monday whether Holmes was medicated for his court appearance, Arapahoe County Undersheriff David C. Walcher said he did not know, and couldn't reveal that information to the media even if he did.

Dr. Mark Levy, a forensic psychiatrist in Mill Valley, California, said he doesn't think Holmes' behavior was due to medication.