The defendant’s mental health and lack of previous violence have been key elements of the defense team’s presentations. During phase 2, both of the gunman’s parents testified about his childhood and upbringing affirming that they did not foresee their son becoming so violent. By middle school, according to testimony, he was one of the top five players in the world at the video game Warcraft III. He earned A’s at the University of California at Riverside. Jurors found that the mental illness he indisputably suffers cannot outweigh the horror of 12 murders. He was just 24 when he killed the people in the theater.
