“I love you.” So begins fan mail written to mass murderer James Holmes who is now serving life in prison in the Colorado movie theater shooting that left 12 people dead and 70 others injured.

The letter was just one of the 4,000 cards, letters and well wishes the 27-year-old received from his admirers as he was being held in the Arapahoe County Jail while on trial for the 2012 massacre in Aurora.

The trove of correspondence, which included a sweet letter from Holmes’ mother, was scanned and posted online Thursday by the Arapahoe District Attorney’s office.

Some of the mail contained money. Some of the letters were signed in lipstick. Others were doused in perfume. Many included sexy photos of women showing off their cleavage or posing in bathing suits. Holmes pasted those photos on his jail cell wall.


James Holmes posted photos from his fans on the wall of his jail cell. ( / Arapahoe District Attorney’s Office )

“I realize what you are going through must have you in disbelief,” wrote one woman who said she was including pictures of herself and her children. The letter continued, “You are my darling. Sweet as a dove in the morning dew. Like a blast of sunlight in my soul.” It ended with a kiss and a happy face.

“You are incredibly mysterious and I’m drawn to that,” wrote another.

“I can’t believe your curls are gone, I liked them. I like a lot about your appearance. You’re handsome,” said another fawning fan.


“If there’s anything I can do for you let me know,” wrote yet another.

Arlene Holmes shared bible passages with her son and signed her letter “I love you Jimmy. Love Mom, aka Goober.”

The Chicago Tribune reported that one of the love letters came from a woman in Holmes’ hometown of San Diego who said, “Just know that there are others, such as myself, who are up at night with worry and feel some sort of connection to you as a person.”

Holmes was formally sentenced August 26 to multiple life terms in prison plus 3,318 years for the attempted murders of the wounded and for rigging his apartment with explosives. In his sentencing the judge called Holmes “an angry quitter who gave up on life and turned his hatred into murder and mayhem against innocent victims in a Colorado movie theater.”


Apparently his fans did not feel the same way. Here’s just a small sample of the mail the murderer was reading in jail while the families of his victims were mourning.


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