Hate crime, attention-getting fraud or something else entirely? That’s the question surrounding the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office decision to charge partners Aimee Whitchurch and Christel Conklin with painting “Kill the Gay” on their residence and then reporting it to authorities as a potential act of retaliation against them — because…
Yesterday marked the three-year anniversary of our Mile High Murder archive — and on that day, the first murder in year four took place. The victim was the owner of a store on East 64th, who died in what appears to be a robbery attempt…
In most instances, breaking and entering involves a thief smashing a window or kicking in a door. But Michael Vidal and three compatriots are accused of taking B&E to the next level — by gaining access to a building into an exterior wall with a stolen car and taking loot…
On May 17, 2009, The Latest Word launched Mile High Murder, an archive devoted to the most serious Denver-area crimes. Today, on MHM’s third anniversary, we’ve culled interactive graphics from crime scene locations or videos connected to the 49 cases that wound up in this repository this past year. While…
OneRepublic drummer Eddie Fisher likely didn’t have “humiliating mug shot” on his rock star bucket list. But he posed for one anyhow this week owing to his bust on suspicion of assault and more related to an incident involving his model girlfriend, Lonnie Weygant, aka Loni Rae. Yesterday, he pleaded…
9News broke the story last night of a group of burglars who broke into Riverside Wellness early Monday morning, walking out with a whopping $8 in cash and leaving hundreds of live marijuana plants just weeks from maturity untouched. It wasn’t exactly the work of criminal masterminds…
We opened our early April post about the murder of Jimma Reat with the following question: “Did a Denver 911 operator accidentally contribute to the slaying of twenty-something Jimma Reat?” The answer hasn’t been determined in a court of law, but here’s one key piece of evidence: The dispatcher in…
Datha Nation, age 64, apparently gambled on short memories and employee turnover when she returned to a bank she’d allegedly robbed before — by telling staffers she’d infect them with AIDS — to stick it up again. And again. If so, she lost that bet. Longmont Police spokesman Commander Jeff…
Thieves dispensing with stolen goods typically do so quietly, outside the public eye. But if Wheat Ridge Police are right, Wylie Newton is a different breed. Newton is accused of stealing an antique pistol from a New Mexico museum, then trying to sell it on a reality TV show…
The sweet plea deal struck by former Arapahoe County sheriff Pat Sullivan for meth possession and soliciting prostitution, which netted him a sentence of thirty days in jail and probation, has been widely criticized for its leniency. But no one is probably in a better position to appreciate the break…
On May 9, four people were shot in Montbello, with one of them subsequently dying. It was a shocking incident, but like many crimes thought to be gang-related, it hasn’t gotten much media attention. And five days later, the victim who died in the case still hasn’t been identified by…
Update: The troubles faced by head-injured Boulder Police officer Christian McCracken continue to mount. Now, in addition to charges (including attempted first-degree murder) related to his alleged stalking of a Boulder dispatcher, he’s facing drug allegations related to Schedule III narcotics concealed in a Skittles bag…
The conviction yesterday of Angel Montoya in the death of three-year-old Neveah Gallegos ends a long journey not only for the child’s loved ones, but also for police, prosecutors and the public. After all, Neveah died in 2007 and Montoya and Miriam Gallegos were arrested shortly thereafter. But justice was…
Denver’s proposed urban camping ban has a lot of people talking — about legality, repercussions and enforcement, the last of which Police Chief Robert White promises will be “very passive.” But what about representation? This morning, Westword spoke to Charles Nadler, president of the Colorado chapter of the National Lawyers…
Roberto Santistevan’s booking photo was prominently featured in our most memorable mug shots of 2011 post, for obvious reasons: He was injured when while being subdued by neighbors, as detailed in a document below. But the damage he inflicted while stabbing Crystal Crespin to death was infinitely worse — which…
A lot of us have hard drives crammed to bursting with photos and videos. But even by those standards, Jon Christopher Baker’s array of images stands out. One computer apparently stored 30,000 photos and 1,400 videos. Oh yeah: The collection allegedly consisted of child pornography…
After nearly five days of testimony in a lawsuit brought by Troy Anderson, a prisoner who’s been in solitary confinement for twelve years, a Denver federal judge was strongly urging Colorado Department of Corrections officials to fix the harshest conditions at the state’s supermax prison — before he has to…
Last December, we told you about the arrest of youth hockey coach Zachary Meints on five Internet sexual exploitation of a child counts. Now, as he’s scheduled to appear in court today, more details are emerging about messaging that’s said to have included encouragement to take part in “masturbation races.”…
Jeffrey Wells, a Department of Corrections parole officer based in Grand Junction, is well regarded by his fellow employees, who recently named him top employee of the quarter. But he’s less venerated by John Morgan and three other parolees, who are currently suing him for allegedly forging documents in order…
Women in Denver are arrested for prostitution-related crimes more often than men and are punished more harshly, according to “Who Pays?,” a new study by the Denver-based Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking. The question of why is still a bit of a mystery, but researchers think it may be tied…
This past weekend, Denver police began investigating the death of a woman on South Bryant Street as a homicide. Since then, the DPD has launched a manhunt for Pedro Rios Lopez, who’s accused of murdering his estranged wife, Berta Rios Lopez, and leaving her body to be found by her…
Two strangers get into a dustup at a nightspot for no good reason: It’s an incredibly common story that’s probably happening at this very moment somewhere on the planet. But an incident that took place at the Oasis Hookah Bar stands out because it’s being investigated as a bias-motivated crime…
