Victims' Relatives Appear In Court To Represent Their Loved Ones
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - Some relatives of the Aurora theater shooting victims said they were in court on Monday to represent their loved ones who couldn't be there.
They streamed into the Arapahoe County courtroom to see the man suspected of causing all the sorrow -- the man some called a monster. They showed up in court to do what they can to make sure James Holmes is punished.
"It's something that I had to do, but it was very difficult to see this man and see his indifference," MaryEllen Hansen said.
Hansen is Ashley Moser's aunt. Moser lost both 6-year-old Veronica and an unborn child to the theater gunman. Her aunt calls Holmes diabolical.
"He had no emotion whatsoever," she said.
Moser was shot and paralyzed.
"It's going to be a long road for her and everything's going to change -- her entire life," Hansen said.
Ali Gharbi came to court while his 16-year-old son, Yousef, remains unconscious with a bullet in his head.
"But so far we are thankful to God he's alive," Gharbi said.
Gharbi heard the 140 charges.
"He needs just to be locked up (in a) madhouse or a jail, or whatever, but he needs to be locked up," Gharbi said.
Former Marine Donald Lader escaped the theater that morning unharmed. He described Holmes as a cornered animal.
"It reaffirmed my fact that, and I'll always stand behind this, that he's a coward," Lader said.
Lader says he came to court wearing a "Dark Knight Rises" t-shirt to support all who have suffered.
"To show that we're not going to sit down for this; we're going to take this situation, we're going to absorb it and we're going to face it head on," he said.
All know the process will be long and tedious but they plan to follow it through, especially for those who can't.
