Holmes' Neighbor: 'I Had A Bad Gut Feeling' About Booby-Trapped Apartment
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4)- The Aurora theater gunman is accused of rigging his apartment with explosives meant to be a diversion while the theater attack was underway.
One of James Holmes' neighbors, Kaitlyn Fonzi, testified about how she almost opened the door to his apartment when she heard techno music blasting from inside.
She went upstairs to confront him, but didn't open the door to the Paris Street apartment.
When asked why by prosecutor Karen Pearson, Fonzi replied, "I had a bad gut feeling that I didn't want to see whatever was on the other side of that door.
The door was tied to a wire that would trip explosives. The extent of the potential destruction from the chemicals and bombs wasn't revealed until a bomb squad robot carefully blew the latch and opened the door enough for a camera to see inside.
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Adams Count Bomb Squad Sergeant James Gordman testified about the delicate operation of the robot.
"What I'm doing is I'm maneuvering the arm over, trying not to touch the tripwire," said Gordman.
The bomb squad found multiple devices made to keep the fire going after the initial explosion. The floor was soaked in fuel. There were two liter bottles filled with gas, mortar shells along with canisters filled with gunpowder, napalm and bullets.
The incendiary elements combined with the chemical explosives and ammunition could have killed anyone approaching the fire to extinguish it.
"So would those bullets potentially make that incendiary device that you talked about in cross-examination even more effective?" asked prosecutor Robert Orman during court on Friday.
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"Yes, it can, yes," replied Gordman.
"Because no one is going to want to fight that fire?" asked Orman.
"Correct," said Gordman.
"I have no further questions," said Orman.
Holmes pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of killing 12 people and injuring 70 others in the July 2012 attack. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
