Centennial, Colorado (CNN) James Eagan Holmes did not start out in this world as a psycho killer. The evidence his lawyers presented in court last week showed he once was a cute, happy little boy from a doting family, a nice kid who was gentle with his dog and his baby sister.

He was wanted, he was encouraged and he was taken to piano lessons and soccer practice and neighborhood birthday parties. He was at the center of a pack of exceptional boys who ruled his Northern California neighborhood and elementary school.

It all seemed so Norman Rockwell normal.

He did well in school and played basketball and video games. He went to the beach, on camping trips in the mountains and to Disneyland. There were family gatherings on Thanksgiving andChristmas and neighborhood parties on July 4 and Halloween.

He was a bit of a prodigy. After he finished his assignments in fifth grade, he and a classmate filled the time writing code and building a website for the school. His teacher, impressed, called him a "Renaissance child."

The 13th Juror With the experienced eye of a trained observer and an avid trial-watcher's curious mind, Ann O'Neill is "The 13th Juror" for CNN's audience. Follow @AnnoCNN on Twitter daily.

By middle school, according to testimony, he was one of the top five players in the world at the video game Warcraft III. He also was starting to withdraw from people. Mental illness was always lurking in the background, Holmes' lawyers say. It stole his childish joy, and ultimately any chance he