Theater shooter’s whereabouts still secret after committee deadlocks on victims’ right to know

From The Denver Post:  A state committee deadlocked Friday over whether victims of the Aurora theater shooting have a right to know where the gunman is locked up.

After two hours of debate, the members of the Department of Public Safety’s Victims Rights Act Subcommittee split 3-3 over whether the Colorado Department of Corrections is breaking the law byrefusing to tell theater shooting victims the gunman’s location. The tie vote means DOC officials — at least for the time being — don’t have to say any more about where James Holmes is other than what they have already said: That he was moved to an out-of-state prison earlier this year to protect his and correctional officers’ safety.

“It’s unconscionable,” said Theresa Hoover, one of the victims who filed the complaint. On her wrist during Friday’s meeting, she wore a purple bracelet in tribute to her son, who was one of 12 people killed in the 2012 shooting. “In memory of A.J. Boik,” it read.

“I don’t think it’s right,” she said. “I don’t think it’s fair for the victims not to know.”

The subcommittee could never force the DOC to reveal the gunman’s location. But, if it had found the DOC violated victims’ rights, that would have started a process that could have led to the disclosure.

Visit The Denver Post for more.

Subscribe to Our Blog

Loading