Update: Headlines noting that seventeen-year-old Austin Sigg has been charged as an adult in the kidnapping and killing of Jessica Ridgeway, a ten-year-old Westminster girl, are a bit redundant, since documents to that effect were filed last month; see previous coverage below. But his court visit yesterday was significant for…
Update: The trial of Kelli Lynn Murphy, a Castle Rock mom accused of smothering her two kids in their beds, got underway two weeks ago; see our previous coverage below. But jurors didn’t take nearly that long to reach a conclusion about the case. Ninety minutes or so after deliberations…
Yesterday, we reported that Denver Police are now enforcing state drunk-cycling laws — meaning intoxicated cyclists can be charged with DUIs just like inebriated drivers. Some cycling advocates question whether this is good public policy — and a look at parallel laws around the country shows that Denver’s approach is…
Cyclists in Denver will now be subject to a new Denver Police Department enforcement policy that says drunk bikers, like drunk drivers, can be charged with DUI. The change, announced internally last week, is designed to align with state laws, officials say, though some bike advocates worry this kind of…
Last week, our Alan Prendergast wrote about an inmate who claims accused Aurora theater killer James Holmes told him his murder spree had been spurred by a homicidal directive implanted by a therapist. Earlier today, the National Enquirer published its version of the story — and the tone and substance…
Criminal defense attorneys make their living by questioning the credibility of witnesses — especially ones not able to testify. But it’ll be tough to undermine the words of Francisco Moran, who said Hector Alvarez-Martinon stabbed him on Thanksgiving shortly before breathing his last…
Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons is an organization devoted to making sure no case or loved one is forgotten — and its website features many personal stories of victims whose killers have not yet been brought to justice. We’ve featured two previous posts based on the site (one…
Tensions between cyclists and motorists on the road seem to be at an all-time high in Colorado given several recent incidents where drivers and bikers have clashed dramatically. Now, three cyclists have taken one fight all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court to protest a controversial ban on biking…
The University of Colorado has released four documents in response to more than thirty open records requests filed by the media. Three are heavily redacted and the fourth is a log of which buildings accused Aurora theater shooter and former student James Holmes entered using his campus ID. That record…
November has been a violent month in Capitol Hill. To start, there was the stabbing death of Ryan Haldeman, 28, near Pub on Penn on November 2. Two days later, 47-year-old Ronald Smith was shot to death outside The Hive. And on November 16, 30-year-old Jonathan Michael Hammond was shot…
Denver Police Chief Robert White’s controversial reorganization of the department is now in effect, and top officials say the major restructuring will create a stronger agency — even if many officers were forced to face demotions. In an effort to reduce “stagnation,” White opened up positions, so that many officers…
The contentious debate over the rights of permit-holders to bring guns onto college campuses was back in the spotlight last week with news that a University of Colorado staffer accidentally fired her handgun, injuring herself and a colleague. Now a representative of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police says…
On a Sunday morning in September, two cyclists on an open road in Longmont filmed their bizarre encounter with James Ernst, 75, who drove an SUV and honked nonstop without passing them. Despite the video, which has now more than 450,000 hits on YouTube, Ernst has pleaded not guilty to…
Update:The Denver coroner’s office has identified the victim of a weekend homicide at South Carlan Court as Loretta Barela, 44. But beyond the tragedy of her death and the arrest of her husband, Christopher Perea, for the crime, additional questions have arisen. Among them: Did the Denver Police take hours…
Update: Yesterday, we reported about a murder in Wheat Ridge for which 25-year-old Nate Fischer was arrested; see our original coverage below. Now, the Wheat Ridge Police Department has identified the victim as Howard Benjamin Adler, who celebrated his 26th birthday just two weeks ago. We’ve also got more details…
In September, we told you about the tragic murder of Zach Sare. Since then, unfortunately, there have been no breaks in the case, and his loved ones are struggling financially to purchase a headstone to mark his grave. So a family friend has set up an account for those who’d…
When William Costello was arrested in June, for allegedly breaking the hip of an elderly man, he seemed like little more than a combustible creep. But after a DNA test run on him under a provision of Katie’s Law scored several hits, the Denver District Attorney’s Office has concluded that…
Steven Unruh is having a hard time convincing anyone that he spent hours talking to Aurora theater shootings suspect James Holmes shortly after his arrest last July. Jail officials say there’s no way that Unruh could have had that kind of access. Yet certain elements of the story — which…
Wayne McDonald doesn’t want his job back, but he would like to clear his name. That’s the main reason McDonald — a friend and former staffer of Mayor Michael Hancock who was fired amid sexual harassment allegations — has filed a lawsuit against the city, his attorney says. The lawsuit…
Thirty-eight claimants will soon receive a portion of the $5.3 million raised through the Aurora Victim Relief Fund, according to an announcement by Governor John Hickenlooper’s office. As per a protocol developed by fund “special master” Ken Feinberg, those who lost family members in the Aurora theater shooting and those…
The University of Colorado is no longer subject to a gag order related to the case of accused Aurora theater shooter and former student James Holmes. Judge William Sylvester has ruled that it’s now up to the university to decide what information to release. In another motion made public today,…
This week, Mitchell Kusick, a student at Grand Junction’s Colorado Mesa University, was busted for allegedly threatening to kill President Barack Obama and trick or treaters. And now, an unnamed high school student in Junction has been cuffed for threats of his own involving rape (or, according to him, “grape”),…
