Holmes' doctor warned police before Colo. theater attack

Michael Winter, USA TODAY | USATODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Psychiatrist warned police about James Holmes Newly released documents say a psychiatrist warned police that accused Colorado theater gunman James Holmes had homicidal thoughts and was a danger to the public. Holmes is accused of killing 12 people on July 20th. (April 5)

Holmes is standing trial for the July 20 Colo. shooting rampage that killed 12 and injured 70

Psychiatrist told campus police a month before the Aurora attack that Holmes was a public danger

Records show the psychiatrist also told campus police Holmes had homicidal thoughts

A University of Colorado psychiatrist told campus police a month before the Aurora movie theater attack that James Holmes had homicidal thoughts and was a public danger, according to records unsealed Thursday.

Lynne Fenton, a psychiatrist at the Denver campus, told police that Holmes had also "threatened and harassed her via email/text messages" in June 2012. He is standing trial for the July 20 shooting rampage that killed 12 and injured 70 during a midnight premiere of the latest Batman movie.

Campus police would not comment, and a university spokeswoman did not immediately respond, the Associated Press said.

Soon after the shooting, university police said they had not had any contact with Holmes, a graduate student doing neuroscience research. But a search warrant affidavit released Thursday revealed that an officer had told investigators that Fenton had contacted her to report "his danger to the public due to homicidal statements he had made."

In releasing the arrest and search warrant affidavits and other documents, District Judge Carlos Samour, the new judge overseeing the case, ruled that neither the prosecution nor defense had convinced him that making the files public would cause harm or that keeping them sealed would prevent harm.

KUSA-TV, published by Gannett, USA TODAY's parent company, and the Associated Press were among news organizations that argued the documents should be made public.

KUSA posted the 14 documents Thursday evening.

One search warrant shows that police searching his car found a jar of bullets, a .12-gauge firearm, white powder and computer parts, KUSA said. Most of that information was disclosed during the January preliminary hearing.

Arapahoe County prosecutors announced Monday that they would seek the death penalty, rejecting Holmes' offer to plead guilty and spend the rest of his life in prison. Samour then replaced Chief Judge William Sylvester, who withdrew.

STORY: Death penalty sought for James Holmes; trial set for Feb. 2014

Sylvester administers courts in four counties and said prosecutors' decision to reject the plea offer meant the case would take up too much time.

Before the January preliminary hearing, Sylvester voiced reservations about releasing the investigative records.

Prosecutors argued the material should be kept under court seal to protect the privacy of victims and witnesses. Defense lawyers said releasing the records could jeopardize Holmes' right to a fair trial.

Contributing: The Associated Press