Anthony Mott Not Charged for Killing Robber Who Responded to Craigslist Ad

Update: We've been reporting about the fatal shooting of David Martinez during a robbery attempt after he and another man responded to a Craigslist ad; see our previous coverage below.

Now,  the homeowner who killed Martinez, identified following the incident as Anthony Mott, has been officially cleared by prosecutors.

There was never any doubt that Mott pulled the trigger that ended Martinez's life on January 24 at a residence on South Taft Court in unincorporated Jefferson County.

As we've reported, Mott had been tied up by the two Craigslist respondents — Martinez and David Mascarenas, who's currently in custody — but he had managed to free himself and grab a gun prior to a confrontation with the pair that turned even more violent. But because Martinez was trying to flee in an SUV when he was killed, there was doubt in some quarters about whether Mott's actions were covered under Colorado's Make My Day law.

First Judicial District DA Pete Weir saw no ambiguity, however.

In a statement announcing that Mott wouldn't be charged, Weir said, “It is standard procedure for law enforcement to conduct an investigation into any death resulting from a gunshot wound. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office did a very thorough investigation in this case. Following their presentation of the evidence regarding the shooting of Mr. Martinez , the decision was made that criminal charges were not warranted.”

Continue for our earlier reporting.

Update, January 28: David Mascarenas was captured on Friday, January 28. See our previous coverage below.

Update: Earlier this week, we told you about a robbery and shooting in Littleton that was tied to a Craigslist ad.

See our previous coverage below.

In that incident, two men who showed up at a home on South Taft Court in response to the aforementioned ad allegedly tied up a homeowner and began to rob him — but the homeowner freed himself, obtained a gun and opened fire, killing one of the men — David Martinez, 38.

The other suspect got away and remains on the loose. But investigators are confident they know who he is, thanks to his alleged use of credit cards stolen during the robbery, not to mention a car associated with him.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office has identified the fugitive as David Ernest Mascarenas, age 54.

Turns out that Mascarenas has an active warrant in his name for first-degree burglary, aggravated robbery and identity theft — no surprise given his criminal history. According to 9News, Mascarenas's rap sheet is seventeen pages long and includes convictions for crimes that include burglary, drug possession and driving under the influence dating back 35 years. His most recent bust was last month in Adams County, for motor vehicle theft.

Among the images of Mascarenas released by the JCSO thus far is this mug shot from an arrest in Westminster circa last November....


...as well as an image of the car in question....


...and two surveillance shots said to have been snapped as he used the stolen credit cards.

Here's the first one....


...followed by an uncropped version of the pic at the top of this post:


If you have any information about Mascarenas or his whereabouts, you're encouraged to call the JCSO tip line at 303-271-5612, or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).

Continue for our previous coverage.

Original post, 5:41 a.m. January 25: Millions upon millions of people have bought and sold items on Craigslist without a problem.

But that doesn't mean horror stories involving the service are unknown.

The most prominent example locally is Dynel Lane's alleged attack on Michelle Wilkins; Lane is accused of cutting the child from Wilkins's womb after advertising baby items for sale.

But in a March 2015 post headlined FIVE COLORADO CRIMES WITH TIES TO CRAIGSLIST, we documented another quintet, including Billy Joe Delacey's 2012 indictment for the murder of a male escort he met via a Craiglist ad.

Add to that list an incident that took place yesterday morning — one that has received comparatively little attention given blanket coverage of the Broncos' AFC championship game win a few hours later: A Littleton homeowner shot and killed one of two men who responded to a Craigslist sale, with the other suspect apparently still on the loose at this writing.

At 9:05 a.m. on Sunday, January 24, a Jefferson County Sheriff's Office dispatcher was alerted to what the JCSO characterizes as "a disturbance" on the 5400 block of South Taft Court.


Immediately thereafter, more 911 callers spoke about shots fired.

Deputies rushed to the scene, where they discovered that an SUV driven by a gravely injured man had crashed into a home near where the shooting had taken place.

What happened? The JCSO notes that the homeowner had posted some items for sale on Craigslist.

A pair of men described as Hispanic males responded. But after their arrival, one of the men produced a gun. The two tied up the homeowner and then robbed him before leaving the residence.

They didn't get far.

The homeowner was able to free himself from his bounds and obtain a gat of his own — and outside, he confronted the men.


The were busy. The JCSO maintains that one man was in the process of stealing the homeowner's car — the SUV — while the other was behind the wheel of a 1990s-era gold Mustang.

Shortly thereafter, the homeowner opened fire, striking the man in the SUV, which crashed into a neighbor's place.

Emergency personnel tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead after being rushed to an area hospital.

Meanwhile, the suspect in the gold Mustang got away, and the JCSO hasn't reported his capture.

No charges have been pressed against the unidentified homeowner thus far, and that may remain the case. His actions are likely protected under Colorado's so-called Make My Day law.

In the meantime, authorities are looking for the driver of the gold Mustang, a Hispanic man thought to be in his forties. If you have any information about the case, you're encouraged to contact the sheriff's office at 303-271-5612 or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).

Look below to see a 7News report.