What’s among the quickest ways for a district attorney to undermine his credibility when it comes to prosecuting crimes? To commit crimes himself. That’s precisely what John Mehlig, a Montrose-based deputy district attorney for the 7th Judicial District, is accused of doing. He’s been busted for DUI — the third…
Each post in our Mile High Murder archive is heartbreaking. But the death of nineteen-month-old Mia McKoy-Phanthavongsa is among the most tragic we’ve ever recounted. The working theory: Mia’s father, Merrick McKoy, age 22, took a self-portrait of the two of them, posted it to Facebook, then killed the beautiful…
Update: Austin Sigg has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of ten-year-old Westminster girl Jessica Ridgeway, and while he’s technically eligible for parole after forty years, he’s been ordered to serve another consecutive sentence of 86 years. The announcement of Sigg’s punishment follows more than a day’s…
Over the years, we’ve documented numerous medical marijuana dispensary robberies, with most taking place after hours and many of them inept — like a 2012 heist that netted a broken scale and $8 from the karma jar. But a recent Longmont dispensary stick-up last week was scarier, featuring two masked…
Last week, we told you about the arrest of Kenneth Ruggieri on suspicion of attempted murder after allegedly shooting at a man with whom he’d been involved in a minor traffic accident — and the Lakewood cops’ belief that the victim, Paul Jones, had brought much of the trouble upon…
It can be a conundrum: What to do when stumbling upon an absolutely perfect Schmuck of the Week candidate long before Friday, when our winners are announced? Put the contest on hold for days or share the schmuckiness early in hopes that someone else will step forward who’s also worthy…
We’ve been reporting about the dreadful death of Jude Murray-Gomez, age five — a crime for which his mother, Shannon Dodson, is in custody on suspicion of first degree murder. On Friday, hours before Jude’s funeral, we had an extended conversation with Juan Gomez, his uncle, and Jillian Gomez, his…
In this day and age, institutions tend to take any threat of violence seriously, because the risk of shrugging off the information as inconsequential and being wrong is simply too high. That’s why Saint John’s Episcopal Church closed for days this week, following an alleged pledge by sixty-year-old Dominique Richard…
In May, we told you about the arrest of Routt County’s Lisa Marie Lesyshen, seen here, for the murder of Asher Lesyshen-Kirlan, her nine-year-old son. See our previous coverage below. Yesterday, Lesyshen, who’s now paralyzed after a suicide attempt (she shot herself in the neck after the slaying), appeared in…
Kenneth Ruggieri, the 22 year old seen here, has been arrested on suspicion of hitting and running, DUI and attempted murder. Yet a rep for the police department in Lakewood, where the incident took place, reserves much of his harshest criticism not for Ruggieri, but for the man at whom…
Update: Yesterday, we told you about the arrest of Shannon Dodson, for allegedly killing her five-year-old son, Jude Murray-Gomez; see our previous coverage below. Now, the arrest affidavit in the case has been made public, and it adds disturbing new details. For instance, Dodson was found naked and wet in…
This week’s cover story, “Blue in Orange,” is about Willie Clark, who was convicted in 2010 of murdering Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams. Clark is now appealing that conviction and is also fighting prison officials in court to get himself out of solitary confinement, where he’s been kept for five…
Last December, as you’ll recall, CU student Thomas Cunningham was busted for “pot brownie assault” — allegedly feeding a teacher and fellow pupils marijuana-laced treats. Cunningham ultimately received a two-year deferred sentence that will be wiped from his record if he stays out of trouble. Davirak Ky may not be…
After the murder of Colorado Department of Corrections chief Tom Clements last spring by parole absconder Evan Ebel , it was obvious that the state’s creaky, overburdened parole system was overdue for some serious scrutiny. Now, Governor John Hickenlooper has proposed a 25 percent boost in the parole budget for…
Aurora theater shooting case Judge Carlos Samour has issued several rulings related to motions seeking to suppress evidence in the case. The motions were filed by attorneys for suspect James Holmes and they request that certain evidence, including Holmes’s online dating profiles and statements he made to the police after…
So…you’re stopped by police when you’ve got drugs on your person. What to do? The most popular options exercised by scofflaws over the years include: 1. Throwing it away. 2. Eating it. 3. Hiding it in the handiest orifice available. Michelle Rendon allegedly picked number three — but her orifice…
Kenneth Lankford, 46, was once the fourth most wanted man in the state of Utah, evading capture by disappearing into the woods. This weekend, authorities believe he was back in a forest — the Black Forest, near Colorado Springs — when he shot and killed two people, including his wife,…
Aurora Rise, a nonprofit founded by the owner of local comic book store All C’s Collectibles, is hosting a screening of Thor: The Dark World on November 12 at the Aurora Movie Tavern. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the foundation, which provides support to the victims of…
We usually associate the crossed-arms, look-over-one-shoulder pose with senior pictures. But as you can tell by Floyd Sandoval’s outfit, this particular photo was snapped for a very different reason — in his case, an arrest for first-degree murder. It’s just one of the memorable images from October. Check out the…
UPDATE: A court has sentenced Robert Gonzales to 112 years to life in prison. The sentence is more than twice that handed down to Thomas White, who was convicted of a similar crime in early January 2015. The First Judicial District DA’s office has filed fifteen charges against 39-year-old Robert…
Should Willie Clark, who was convicted of murdering Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, be kept in solitary confinement in prison? That’s the question at the heart of this week’s cover story, “Blue in Orange,” which also details Clark’s criminal appeal. Clark says that he’s innocent and furthermore, he says that…
Yesterday, we reported that a videographer at the Million Mask March on Tuesday in downtown Denver had alleged police brutality against her and others at the City & County Building, and offered footage of the incident as evidence; see it below. Since then, we’ve spoken at length with another marcher,…
