Psychiatrist: Colorado theater shooter didn't know right from wrong

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Attorneys for Colorado theater shooter James Holmes began presenting their case Thursday by calling a psychiatrist who said Holmes was so psychotic he could not tell right from wrong when he killed 12 people during a packed movie premiere.

Dr. Jonathan Woodcock interviewed Holmes in jail for two hours July 24, 2012, four days after he opened fire on the theater. His testimony Thursday drew a flurry of questions from prosecutors who doubted his conclusion Holmes was seriously delusional around the time of the attack.

Under cross-examination by District Attorney George Brauchler, Woodcock acknowledged his independent recollection of the interview was vague, his notes were sometimes spotty, and he did not press Holmes on some key points.

The doctor said he found Holmes suffering from severe mental illness that made him "tremendously emotionally flat," which may have masked the extent of his problems from classmates and friends. Holmes believed if he told people about his plans to kill strangers, he would be required to carry out the action, Woodcock said.

"One of his delusions was that if he said he wanted to do something, he would have to do it," he testified.

Woodcock was among the first witnesses called by the defense in an effort to show Holmes was legally insane at the time of the shooting, which also wounded 70 people.

The jail visit with Holmes was not intended for Woodcock to form an opinion on Holmes' sanity but rather to see whether Holmes was competent to stand trial.

Defense attorneys plan to offer a less emotional and more clinical assessment of Holmes after two months of often-gruesome testimony from prosecution witnesses, including many visibly wounded victims.

Without the scores of victims on their side, Holmes' lawyers will present evidence in less than a quarter of the time taken by prosecutors.

On the first day of the defense case, Holmes appeared clean-shaven in the courtroom, a change from the bushy beard he wore during the prosecution's case.

Before the shooting, Holmes was distressed by the worsening symptoms of his mental disorder, which brought anxiety and pushed him to drop out of his stressful neuroscience program, Woodcock said.

Holmes told the doctor he began experiencing problems as early as middle school. He started thinking of killing other people as a way to ease the discomfort of his own suicidal thoughts, Woodcock testified.