The national focus on the Aurora theater shooting trial, and the still-pending question of whether convicted killer James Holmes will be sentenced to death, has overshadowed another capital case that would likely be the biggest story in the Denver area under other circumstances. The crime in question: the five slayings…
James Holmes will spend the rest of his life in prison. On Friday, three and a half months after Holmes’s trial began, a jury of nine women and three men delivered his punishment. Judge Carlos Samour read the verdicts just after 5 p.m. They were all the same. “We, the…
A teenager dies a violent death in a busy part of Denver — and the incident makes hardly a ripple in the media. Why? That’s a complicated question, and the answers aren’t typically discussed in polite company. But the likeliest possibilities are these: The victim, seventeen-year-old Jorge Lopez-Ramirez, was Hispanic;…
In recent months, we’ve written a number of times about what’s known as “suicide by cop.” Such incidents find suicidal individuals such as Aurora’s Patrick Stoltz apparently trying to goad law enforcers into ending their lives, much to the cops’ frustration. Representatives of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office use this term…
It’s the latest grim twist in a crime that’s consumed Aspen for well over a year — the murder of socialite Nancy Pfister. William Styler, a former Denver doctor in poor physical condition, confessed to killing Pfister, thereby exonerating his wife, Nancy Pfister, who’d previously been charged in the homicide…
Next month the Colorado Judicial Department will start charging interest on the court-ordered restitution that state prisoners owe to crime victims — a surcharge that was supposed to be imposed across the state under a law passed fifteen years ago, but which officials in many judicial districts neglected to collect…
Yesterday, we told you about the cancellation of the Lozilu Denver mud run, slated for later this month, as well as other similar events sponsored by the organization in major cities across the country. In our post, we noted the unhappiness of numerous people who’d hoped to participate and a…
During the early morning hours, gunshots rang out on Iliff Avenue. Three people were shot, with one said to have suffered a life-threatening wound. The location offered up by the Aurora Police Department corresponds to McDonough’s Irish Pub, a watering hole known for its bargain-priced libations. The address in question…
Last year, we told you about the search for Colorado Springs’ Bionca Rogers, then 21, after she’d been named in arrest warrant relating to the death of Grant Frazier, 61. Frazier’s body was found in a car in Iowa, the state from which Rogers hailed. Rogers subsequently surrendered to Iowa…
A new study concludes that race and geography play a significant role in whether a criminal defendant faces the death penalty in Colorado, providing hard-numbers support to the objections about bias raised by Governor John Hickenlooper two years ago when he granted a reprieve from execution for convicted killer Nathan…
The Colorado crime stories from July 15 definitely ran the gamut. Included among them are tales of shocking tragedy and bizarre allegations — including the accusations against Jenessa Rosenbach, seen above, who’s accused of trying to kill her online date. Below, we’ve collected twenty of the most memorable images. Be…
The death penalty is still a possibility for Aurora theater shooting gunman James Holmes. Starting tomorrow, the jurors in his trial are expected to hear from the loved ones of the twelve people he murdered in the attack. Their testimony will make up the third and final phase of the…
When CU Buffs basketballer Dustin Thomas decided to transfer from Boulder to Arkansas earlier this year, there was no indication that he was leaving Colorado due to off-the-court issues. Indeed, coaches made a point to praise him on the way out the door, suggesting that he’d handled the transition with…
Earlier this week, a post featuring maps of Denver homicides during the first half of 2015 noted that the number of incidents — twenty — was in line with the totals from recent years. For instance, there were also twenty Denver homicides during the first six months of 2012 and…
Early reports that Colorado Springs Police Detective Paul Patton had been arrested included few details. All we knew is that he was suspected of attempting to influence a public servant, first-degree official misconduct and false reporting to authorities. But now, a police report obtained by the Colorado Springs Independent, among…
In general, we celebrate mothers who support their daughters, particularly during those difficult teenage years. Selina Ramirez certainly did so in their case of her sixteen-year-old — but the folks at the Denver District Attorney’s Office aren’t cheering. Instead, prosecutors have formally charged Ramirez, 38, with assault and more. That’s…
Hayden May’s alleged robbery of an Aspen dispensary wasn’t exactly the perfect crime. After all, everyone in the shop reportedly knew who he was — which explains why he apologized during the heist. Presumably, he’s the one who’s sorry now. May fled the state after making his big score, and…
Earlier this month, 22-year-old David Wheat Jr. was killed after being shot eleven times by Fort Collins police officers. The incident shares elements of two themes we’ve been exploring in this space of late. The first is suicide by cop, recently decried by the Las Vegas Police Department as a…
There have been no shortage of officer-involved shootings in the metro area of late. Incidents include the gun-down of armed suspect Chisom Nwandilibe near 17th and Broadway and the April wounding of wanted identity thief Kyle “Twitch” Moore in Greeley. Now, it’s Boulder’s turn. Late last night, a Boulder police…
The number of homicides that took place in Denver during the first half of 2015 — twenty — is fairly typical. For example, we cataloged twenty homicides during the first six months of 2012, and 22 in 2013. But that doesn’t make the latest ones any less tragic for the…
The probable cause statement in the name of Arnoldo Banuelos tells a harrowing tale. According to the document on view below, Banuelos, 26, held his ex-girlfriend captive for two days, sexually assaulting her repeatedly over that span. The victim’s persistence in trying to reach family members (and their efforts to get…
Fox31/CW 2’s Greg Nieto…
