Pueblo father lends support to theater shooter’s parents
As the second week of the Aurora theater shooting trial begins, a well-known advocate against the death penalty sat in the courtroom.
Bob Autobee told KRDO NewsChannel 13 last Friday that he wanted to be in Centennial for the trial on Monday to lend his support to the parents of James Holmes.
Bob Autobee’s son, Eric, was working as a prison guard at the Limon Correctional Facility in 2002 when he was beaten to death by inmate Edward Montour. For years, Bob Autobee wanted his son’s killer to be executed but then had a change of heart.
“The death penalty is satan’s best work,” Bob Autobee said. “It makes us believe that we’re doing the right thing by wanting to kill. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
It’s that message that Autobee hopes to embody when he watches the trial. The accused gunman’s mother, Arlene Holmes, wrote Autobee a letter last year, thanking him for taking a stand against the death penalty.
“I told her I would be there for her and I feel her pain. Now she’s being victimized. Her and her family are being victimized. This isn’t just about the killer,” Bob Autobee said.
If a jury find James Holmes guilty of first-degree murder, then they’ll decide whether he should be executed. Otis Medley’s son, Caleb, was one of 70 people injured in the theater on July 20, 2012. Otis Medley told KRDO NewsChannel 13 during an interview in April that he wants Holmes to face the death penalty.
“It’s not going to get anybody back, it’s not going to get my son back, it’s not going to change anything. But it will bring some justice and closure,” said Otis Medley.
“I’ve been there. I had the hate. I had the willingness to kill but since I found my way my life has improved tenfold because of forgiveness,” said Bob Autobee.
Bob Autobee said he knows his message may not sit well with some of the victims of the Aurora theather shooting, but he said it’s one he wants to share in honor of his late son.
KRDO NewsChannel 13 asked Autobee for a copy of the letter that Holmes’ mother sent him, but he says the letter is in the hands of the defense team.
James Holmes has plead not guilty by reason of insanity for killing 12 people and injuring 70 on July 20, 2012.
