Huffington Post
The parents of Colorado theater shooter James Holmes begged Friday for his life to be spared through a plea bargain — a move that rekindled the long-running, emotional debate about whether the horrific details of the mass killing should be played out at his upcoming trial. The statement released by Robert and Arlene Holmes emphasized a key legal issue in the tortured history of the case — James Holmes' mental state when he killed 12 people and injured 70 others, and whether he should die if convicted of the crime. "He is a human being gripped by a severe mental illness," the parents wrote in just their second public comments since the 2012 attack. "We have always loved him, and we do not want him to be executed."
