The Holmes family goes to family counseling because, testimony reveals, JH hit his sister, Chris and then barricaded himself in a room. JH later says he didn't want to appear weak in front of his parents and his sister, and didn't talk about his darker feelings or thoughts.
JH says he attempted suicide at age 10, but Dr. Raquel Gur testifies that this happened in 6th grade around age 12 in the back of his family's car during the move from Castroville, California to San Diego. There was a box next to him in the back seat, and he tore a piece of cardboard from it which he then rubbed across his wrist. When his mother asks about the marks, he says they're paper cuts. Gur testifies "He was stressed and distressed to the point that he didn't want to live." She calls this move "very unusual."
JH says, as a high school sophomore, he has thoughts telling him to kill people. In the notebook he sent to psychiatrist Lynne Fenton, he explains, "The obsession to kill since I was a kid, with age became more and more realistic."
After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California-Riverside as "one of the top of the top," JH gets a job working full-time at a pill-coating factory for $11/hour while living with his parents. Co-workers testify that he was quiet. One of them noticed he would sometimes stare at the wall.
Inner office email sent out from University of Iowa grad program about JH warns, "Do NOT offer admission under any circumstances."
JH gets official acceptance letter from CU-Denver neuroscience program after multiple rejections from other universities. In his University of Iowa application he wrote, “We all share one brain, the human brain.”
JH receives acceptance letter from the University of Illinois. It reads, "Those who met you ... during your interview visit felt that your personal and professional qualities are truly outstanding and that you will be an excellent match for our program."
JH signs a one-year lease for his Paris Street apartment, which is located just blocks from graduate school. He starts class early at CU-Denver.
During orientation, JH’s ex-girlfriend Gargi Datta sees him for the first time. During her testimony in 2015, she recalls him wearing bright blue sunglasses.
JH sends Datta an email with the heading, “Hey girl, I lost my number can I have yours?” This was after a failed attempt to exchange phone numbers so that JH could join a study group.
