Victims of the "Dark Knight Rises" shooting and their relatives are getting upset after James Holmes' defense lawyers claimed he was mentally ill, the Associated Press reported Friday.
"They keep talking about fairness for him," Shane Medek, whose sister, Micayla Medek, died in the theater shooting, told the AP. "It's like they're babying this dude."
Holmes's lawyers could not disclose the extent of Holmes' illness because they claim they need access to more information from investigators and the prosecution.
But some of those who attended the hearing did not count the supposed illness as a factor in what his punishment should be, according to the AP.
"It doesn't give him the right to do what he did," Chris Townsond, who attended the hearing with a victim, told the AP. "I don't care how mentally damaged he is."
Holmes began showing evidence that he understood what was happening in court at a hearing on Thursday, according to AP. Medek claims he made eye contact with her.
"He gave me a little smirk, as well," Medek told the AP. "I'm happy for that. 'Cause now he knows that I'm going to be looking at him as he sits there in court, or sits there all drugged up in a mental hospital. Or gets the injection."
Holmes was accused of murdering 12 people and wounding at least 59 others at a premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" in July.
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