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Prosecutors: Holmes defense misleading victims

By WTOP Staff

DAN ELLIOTT
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Prosecutors in the Colorado theater shooting case accused a representative of the defense team of misleading victims, offering to leak sensitive information to them and trying to line up opposition to the death penalty.

In a document released Tuesday, prosecutors alleged the defense sent “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” to the victims, an apparent reference to Tammy Krause, a victim-outreach specialist working for defense lawyers.

Prosecutors did not specifically say how they believe Krause misled the victims but said she spoke with them in order to gather information for the defense, not to help the victims.

No phone listing could be found for Krause, and defense lawyers didn’t immediately return a call.

In an affidavit filed last month, Krause described herself as a liaison and said her role was to help defense lawyers understand the victims’ concerns and questions.

“I am guided by the needs of each individual victim,” she wrote.

It is the latest round of pre-trial maneuvering in the case of James Holmes, who is charged with killing 12 people and injuring 70 in the July 20, 2012, attack on a suburban Denver movie theater. Holmes pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Jury selection is scheduled to start Oct. 14.

The trial is expected to turn on whether jurors determine Holmes was insane at the time of the shooting, but the two sides are battling over numerous secondary issues.

The 267-page prosecution document, dated Friday, is a response to an allegation by Holmes’ lawyers that prosecutors interfered with the defense investigation by wrongly telling victims that Krause was an advocate for Holmes. The defense asked the judge to punish prosecutors.

Prosecutors said they did nothing wrong and the defense request should be rejected.

Prosecutors submitted affidavits from unidentified victims to support their allegations against Krause.

In one affidavit, a victim said Krause asked how to write a letter to other victims that would “purposefully leak information.” The information wasn’t clear from the affidavit, parts of which were redacted. Prosecutors described it as sensitive information that was not supposed to be released to victims but that Krause had suggested she could “hypothetically” pass it along.

Another affidavit said an anti-death-penalty advocate asked a victim to arrange meetings with other victim families so Krause or the advocate could try to sway their opinions about the death penalty.

Separately, a court filing released Tuesday explained why the defense wants the disciplinary records of three police officers. Two are potential prosecution witnesses — one who responded to the theater and one who was assigned to a high school where witnesses were interviewed. The third helped conduct a background investigation of Holmes.

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Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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