A woman loves the man suspected of killing 12 moviegoers last summer so much she dyed her hair bright orange to match his.
Misty Benjamin, 30, attended all three days of James Holmes' preliminary hearing this week and told The Daily Mail she did so because she doesn't think Holmes is a bad person, even though "what he did was bad."
"Tons of people are hating me because I'm deciding to be compassionate and show compassion for a person that committed a horrendous crime," Benjamin said.
"When I first saw him, I was physically attracted to him," she added. "I thought, 'oh crap. I think he is cute.'"
Holmes is facing more than 160 charges for allegedly opening fire on a theater full of people during The Dark Knight Rises midnight premiere in Aurora, Colo.
During three days of testimony, first responders described the horrific scene they encountered at the Aurora, Colo., movie theater. FBI agents also revealed the death trap Holmes created in his apartment before the shooting, and prosecutors presented eerie pictures Holmes took of himself posing before the massacre.
Holmes is scheduled to be arraigned the week of May 11, at which time he will have to enter a plea.
But for Benjamin, an Aurora resident herself, the details of the case just don't matter.
“Even after everything I heard, I can still say I can still support this human being,” she told The Daily Beast after the third day of the hearing. “He is not an animal. I don’t think he is a bad guy. What he did was bad.”
Benjamin is so in love with the accused killer, she told the Beast she keeps a picture of him in her wallet.
"When I get upset, I look at his picture and I calm down," she said.
And Benjamin isn't alone.
Allison Ernst was so concerned about Holmes she petitioned the court in August to have him released to her care, calling the case against him "a huge conspiracy."
Some people have become so obsessed with Holmes they call themselves Holmies and created a Facebook page dedicated to the accused gunman.
The page says it's a "fan club for Holmies. Holmies for life!!"
Experts have long speculated why people, mainly women, have a tendency to latch on to notorious killers.
One theory speculates serial killer groupies want to be seen as rescuers and believe they can change the accused murderers. Others thrive on the drama surrounding the suspect, according to TruTV.
DON'T MISS: One Student Shot At California School; Suspected Gunman Arrested >
Please follow Law & Order on Twitter and Facebook.
Join the conversation about this story »
