The Arkham Asylum, officially known as The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, is a fictional psychiatric hospital in the DC Comics Universe. It is the place the Dark Knight was placed for a time. It is the place James Holmes would like to be placed in when he pleads insanity after allegedly murdering 12 innocent people in Aurora, CO.
The Arkham Asylum usually appears in stories featuring Batman but many psychopathic criminals from across the DC Universe, mostly from Batman’s own rogues gallery (such as the Joker, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, Two-Face, the Scarecrow, Bane, Killer Croc, and Harley Quinn) have been imprisoned within the Asylum and also escaped from it.
Looking distant, disconnected and zombie like, below are photos of James Holmes while attending his rights hearing Monday morning
The Arkham Asylum is named after the Sanatorium in the fictional city of Arkham, Massachusetts, found in many of H.P. Lovecraft’s short horror and science fiction stories, such as “The Colour Out of Space”.
It is speculated that James Holmes will plead insanity. He has refused to utter a word in last 3 days and when appearing in court this morning, exhibited strange facial expressions as the judge spoke.
In light of the shocking and violent nature of the Aurora, Colorado shooting at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises, it is difficult to conceive of a possible defense for suspected gunman James Holmes. After his arraignment Monday morning, however, some are beginning to speculate that Holmes’ lawyer will pursue an insanity defense.
As David Lane, a lawyer experienced in the defense of death-penalty offenses, observes, “There are some crimes, the nature of which just scream out ‘crazy.’ This is one of those cases.” Aside from the nature of the crime, Holmes’ appearance at his arraignment screamed out crazy. He appeared sporting bright orange hair and behaved as if he was heavily medicated, at times wide-eyed and at others on the verge of sleep.
Lane isn’t the only one who thinks an insanity plea is a distinct possibility. Former Adams County District Attorney Bob Grant said, “You just have to imagine that there is something in his psychiatric makeup that will be exploited by his defense team, I don’t know what the hell else they are going to say.” Despite what you feel about James Holmes, you have to feel a little sympathy for the public defender Tamara Brady who is saddled with his defense.
Until Holmes undergoes a competency test to determine his psychological state, it can’t be known for sure if an insanity plea is even possible. If Holmes is deemed incompetent, such a defense seems inevitable. In the case that psychiatrists decide that Holmes is fit for trial, however, it could be devastating to his defense. As legal analyst Scott Robinson notes, “If in fact he is sane, it’s a hopeless case for the defense. They caught him literally gunpowder-handed with his weapons, with his tactical gear.”
