Judge Accepts Suspected Colorado Shooter's Insanity Plea
BURNETT: Our second story, OUTFRONT, insanity plea. So this came as a shock and so hard for many today. A judge today accepted a not guilty plea from the suspected Colorado movie theatre gunman. James Holmes defense is he's insane. He's now 25 years old. He is accused of killing 12 and wounding 58 in the horrific July 28th massacre last year. And the question tonight, does Holmes plea add up? Lonnie and Sandy Phillips are OUTFRONT. Their daughter Jessica was killed in that shooting last summer. Thanks very much to both of you. Sandy, I know that every day this is something that you're reliving and as this trial drags on, it has to be something that just does not go away. What was your reaction to the judge's decision to accept that insanity plea today?</s>SANDY PHILLIPS, LOST DAUGHTER IN COLORADO THEATER SHOOTING: Actually, we were expecting it. We've had a very good relationship with the D.A. and the assistant D.A. in Denver who keep the families very aware of what's going on and what could happen and what might happen. And I don't think any of us were surprised by the tactic that they took, unfortunately.</s>BURNETT: And as you say, unfortunately. Lonnie, you know, I have spoke Tom Teves who is another father and I know you know him, his son Alex was murdered that night, as well, in the shooting. And we had actually talked about this issue of whether James Holmes would be insane. He said he thought there's no way he was insane because he had planned this in advance and knew the repercussions of what he was going to do. And I know you know Tom well, too. I just wanted to play for you what he had to say and then get your reaction.</s>TOM TEVES, FATHER OF SHOOTING VICTIM: If you're insane, you don't think what you're doing is wrong. If you don't think what you're doing is wrong then you don't need to create a diversion that will keep the first responders from stopping you and/or capturing you. Also, one of the things that they put in there is he had on his dating site, because he had two dating sites that said, come visit me in jail. If you don't think it's wrong, you probably don't think you're going to jail.</s>BURNETT: Lonnie, what is your feeling?</s>LONNIE PHILLIPS, LOST DAUGHTER IN COLORADO THEATER SHOOTING: Well, Tom is a very emotional as I am about this and trying to keep controlled and think this thing through, neither one of us think that he is, the term crazy or mentally ill, he was seeing a psychiatrist. He had planned this too meticulously for it to be anything else other than to promote himself. How it plays out in court really doesn't matter that much to Sandy and I as long as he's not freed and I don't think that will ever happen. Where he spends the rest of his life or whatever they decide to do with him is really no matter to us. We have kind of written him out of our lives. He's a nonentity to us. (1915</s>CAPS) LONNIE PHILLIPS: He had planned this too meticulously for it to be anything else other than to promote himself. How it plays out in court really doesn't matter that much to Sandy and I as long as he's not freed and I don't think that will ever happen. Where he spends the rest of his life or whatever they decide to do with him is really no matter to us. We have kind of written him out of our lives. He's a nonentity to us.</s>SANDY PHILLIPS: The only day we'll be in court is the day they sentence him and quite frankly the only insanity involved here is the fact that he was able to get his hands on all those weapons and 6,000 rounds of ammunition with not so much as a background check. That's the true insanity here.</s>LONNIE PHILLIPS: For our society to allow that to happen without a background check of somebody with his history, the fact that his parents knew he had a history and allowed it to go on and to allow him to get his hands on those kind of weapons is what I consider true insanity.</s>BURNETT: And --</s>SANDY PHILLIPS: In fact, I don't know if you know this, but the AR-15 that was used in Aurora as well as in the Newtown shootings --</s>BURNETT: Yes.</s>SANDY PHILLIPS: -- had been banned until 2008. If that ban stayed in effect and if our leaders in the government had done their jobs, neither one of those shootings would have been anywhere near as catastrophic as they turned out to be.</s>BURNETT: I mean, those are -- just points. Just frustrated so many people in the country who support what you believe in and the back ground checks. But Sandy, Lonnie just said something - you said you'll be there on sentencing day, and in terms of sentencing that you -- Lonnie was saying that as long as he's never seen again. I know this has to be something you struggle with. And you've lost a daughter who lost her life and future. When you think of that tough choice of death penalty or life in prison, where do you fall on that decision?</s>SANDY PHILLIPS: I'd like to personally -- I'd like to see him spend his life in jail. And I'd like to see him be in the general population. Which, of course, won't happen. But that would be perfection for me. But either way, I don't care if he gets the death sentence or not. It's just much quicker to have it over and done with if he's just sentenced to life.</s>BURNETT: July 28th is going to be the one-year anniversary. And as I said, I know it's got to be every day for you, that you relive this and try to remember things about your daughter. But when people hear her name, Jessica, they say -- what do you want them to remember about her?</s>SANDY PHILLIPS: The joy that she brought to life. She lived very fully. And enjoyed every moment. And taught people around her to do the same. And she's impacted a lot of lives in a very positive way. Even though she's no longer here. But she lived large and she lived joyously, and she lived with nothing but love in her heart for other people. And I was her biggest fan and she was my biggest fan and that's what I miss the most.</s>BURNETT: Thank you for sharing just a little bit. We appreciate it. OUTFRONT next, the sink hole that swallowed part of a Florida neighborhood. It is a problem across this country, and we have a special report tonight on a new and massive hole. Plus, why did an airline take 100 kids off a plane? They were going on vacation. Did it have something to did with their religion? And in our "Outtake" tonight, a bird, a plane? A pepperoni pizza?