Notebook shows bizarre scribblings of Colorado shooter

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- A notebook that had once been in the possession of a psychiatrist who was treating Colorado theater shooter James Holmes was admitted into courtroom evidence Tuesday during his trial, and released to the public on Wednesday.

On its pages, Holmes collected scribblings like that provided insight into what had been in his mind during the weeks and months prior to the 2012 mass shooting that took 12 lives and injured 70 others.

The spiral notebook has long been thought to hold clues to Holmes' state of mind at the time of the July 20, 2012 attack -- but this was the first look inside. Tuesday afternoon, excerpts were read aloud by Aurora Police Sgt. Matthew Fyles.

On several pages he repeated the question: "Why? Why? Why?"

On others, accounts of scouting several theaters in the days before the attack.

Holmes apparently considered attacking an airport but decided against it, not wanting his attack to be confused with terrorism.

Giving it the title "Of Life," Holmes describes his "broken mind" and yearslong "obsession to kill," CBS Denver reported. Some of his rantings include "all men are uncreated equal" and "life's fallback solutions to all problems -- death."

Prosecutors have looked at the notebook as detailing of his plan of attack and believe it shows he was sane at the time of the shooting. But defense attorneys say the confused musings are the majority of the book. Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

The notebook was sent by Holmes to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center. He had been studying in a neuroscience program there until he dropped out. It was directed to Dr. Lynne Fenton, whose care Holmes was under. The notebook surfaced after the shooting.