US | Aurora, Colorado Loner James Holmes Was Dating: Emails Messages reveal university's response to shooting By Matt Cantor Posted Dec 6, 2012 4:39 AM CST Copied In this July 23, 2012 file photo, James Holmes appears in Arapahoe County District Court in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/Denver Post, RJ Sangosti, Pool, File) Newly released emails paint a clearer picture of the Aurora shooting suspect—and the University of Colorado's reaction to the attack. Former student James Holmes didn't have many friends, but he did briefly have a girlfriend who was in India during the shooting, the AP reports. Holmes "had a brief romantic relationship with one of the grad students in my program last fall," wrote a faculty member in an email to a friend shortly after the attack. "She knows, and is pretty freaked out." There were a few others who knew him, wrote the head of the neuroscience department from which Holmes withdrew: "He was friendly with 1-2 students in another program," she noted, citing fears for the safety of fellow students and faculty. An assistant professor writes in another email that his notes on Holmes from a recruitment interview are still available, but a later email says an attorney told campus officials to "purge those data." Later the attorney changed her mind. The emails' release follows a court battle. Initially, a judge had blocked their release to ensure a fair trial, but media opposition prompted the judge to alter his order. Still, much of the material is redacted. Read These Next Rubio says the fate of Iran's conversion facility is what matters. Her blood isn't compatible with anyone else's. Some of the most explosive Diddy allegations are dropped. Fan who taunted Ketel Marte's mom has been banned by MLB. Report an error