Authorities said that Aurora shooter James Holmes had July 20, 2012 marked "with a unique symbol" in a calendar found and a Batman mask and a violent drawing in his apartment, according to testimony at his hearing on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.
The discoveries were revealed as part of a pretrial hearing on whether evidence seized from his apartment after the shooting "can be introduced at [his] trial" beginning in February, 2014.
Leslie Kopper, an FBI agent, testified that an evidence team found the items at his apartment, although she did not elaborate on them. Prosecutors nor defense lawyers asked further questions pertaining to them.
Aurora police Detective Thomas Wilson also testified that he found the violent drawing in a spiral notebook inside a backpack at the apartment. The illustration was "some kind of maze game involving a serial killer," he said.
The shooter had sent a notebook containing violent drawings to a psychiatrist before committing the murders, The Huffington Post reported.
Defense attorneys also argued in court Wednesday that police illegally entered Holmes' apartment when they utilized a bomb robot without a warrant in the hours and days after the shooting, news reports said.
Holmes' attorney acknowledged their client had been the gunman responsible for killing 12 people and wounding over 70 others on July 20, 2012 during a crowded movie showing of "The Dark Knight Rises." He faces over 166 counts of murder or attempted murder charges.
Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. They must prove he was sane while committing the assault.
"Other evidence to emerge during pretrial hearings includes statements Holmes made after his arrest and computer and bank records that police have said document his purchases of weapons and explosives," The AP also reported.
Holmes' defense team has argued throughout the pre-trial hearing that these pieces of evidence should be thrown out since police began their search before they had a legal warrant. However, prosecutors contend that Holmes said he had explosives at his apartment -which he reportedly helped to dissemble for them- and they did not have time for a warrant.
Holmes' defense team also asked for more time to file roughly six more motions pertaining to Holmes' psychiatric evaluation.
"These motions involve very important and complex legal issues, many of which pertain to the death penalty and mental illness, and have never been filed or litigated before in the state of Colorado," they said in a statement on Tuesday.
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