He also had booby trapped his apartment with explosives

Jan 12, 2013 09:01 GMT  ·  By

Aurora shooter James Holmes had booby trapped his apartment with explosives, as we previously wrote. He was most likely preparing for the event in which it would be searched.

Holmes' trial reveals new elements of his plan for that day, as his methods for a getaway are brought to light.

According to I Science Times, his car was packed with road spikes to stop policemen chasing after him and tear gas, apart from an iPhone and a .40 caliber handgun.

He had a body armor in his car, which matched exactly those of first responders in the town of Aurora. Police believe he acquired it from a SWAT supplier, to be able to blend into the crowd once causing a frenzy.

Whoever entered his apartment had a good chance of starting a massive fire. He built a mechanical circuit, reminiscent of the movie Home Alone, to catch intruders off guard.

"The guy was a mad scientist. [...] There was a magnetic switch [in his apartment so that] when the door opens up, it would trip a chemical container into another chemical container that would ignite the cans of gasoline and light up the whole place and kill the cops," a law enforcement source describes.

Even so, some experts believe he was aware of the fact that he wouldn't be able to escape the consequences of his actions.

"I do think he was thinking that he was going to get away from that movie theater," former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole assesses.

In a pretrial hearing held this week, Judge William Sylvester ruled that his case will be going to court. It is likely that his attorney will be entering an insanity plea.

A batch of photos taken by the shooter right before the incident was entered as evidence of the fact that he either acted indifferently or unaware of his actions.