James Holmes’ Mom Says ABC News Mischaracterized Her Statement

James Holmes’ mom Arlene Holmes has suggested that ABC News mischaracterized her “you have the right person” statement regarding her sons arrest.

Holmes said in her recent statement:

“This statement is to clarify a statement made by ABC media. I was awakened by a call from a reporter by ABC on July 20 about 5:45 in the morning. I did not know anything about a shooting in Aurora at that time. He asked if I was Arlene Holmes and if my son was James Holmes who lives in Aurora, Colorado. I answered yes, you have the right person. I was referring to myself.”

Holmes’ mother then added:

“I asked him to tell me why he was calling and he told me about a shooting in Aurora. He asked for a comment. I told him I could not comment because I did not know if the person he was talking about was my son, and I would need to find out.”

In ABC News’ first report of the Aurora, Colorado shooting the reporter says Arlene Holmes “told ABC News her son was likely the alleged culprit, saying, ‘You have the right person.'”

In that same article ABC News suggested that James Holmes had connections with the Colorado Tea Party Patrios, a claim that was later proved to be false. It turns out another James Holmes was associated with the Tea Party in Colorado.

ABC News in the meantime has decided to stand behind its original claims, in a new article the news agency revealed the following conversation:

[ABC News reporter Matthew] Mosk said today that he awoke Arlene Holmes and informed her that a man, he believed was her son had been arrested in Aurora and asked to confirm their relationship.

“You have to tell me what happened… You have to tell me what happened,” the woman on the phone said, according to Mosk. Mosk said he told her that ABC News had learned the 24-year-old had been identified by police as the lone suspect in the mass killing in Aurora, Colo and that the details of the events were still taking shape.

“You have the right person,” was her response, he said. “I need to call the police. I need to fly to Colorado.”

Matthew Mosk did not record the conversation in order to corroborate his story.

Here is Arlene Holmes’ statement regarding the ABC News phone call courtesy of Politico: