Bianchi, who owned several Grateful Dead-themed businesses in Denver before running into controversy, was arrested in April 2024 on charges of three instances of sexual assault. Since then, two more people have come forward alleging drugging by Bianchi, but not sexual assault, after the Denver Police Department put out a call for additional victims to come forward.
Bianchi has been held at the Downtown Denver Detention Center on a $250,000 bond since his arrest. He faces numerous charges stemming from incidents that occurred from 2020 to 2024, including eight felony counts.
Six of the felony charges relate to the sexual assault of two different victims, while the other two felonies are assault in the second degree for allegedly purposefully causing unconsciousness.
One of the sexual assault cases allegedly occurred in October 2020 on the 700 block of East Colfax Avenue, where Sancho’s Broken Arrow was located before it was shut down in a settlement with the city in 2022 over liquor-license violations and a public-nuisance complaint related to illegal cocaine dealing by bartenders.
Jay Bianchi was arrested last April on multiple charges of sexual misconduct.
Denver Police Department
Of the two drugging charges, one allegedly occurred at each location.
Bianchi’s trial was initially going to begin June 27 but his public defenders asked to continue the trial to a later date. The defense did not state the exact reasoning in court on May 8.
To reschedule the trial, Bianchi agreed to waive his right to a speedy trial, though no one seemed too happy about that prospect.
Denver Deputy District Attorney Chris Curtis said the DA’s office had contacted the victims, who didn’t protest the delay but were “understandably frustrated” with the process.
Bianchi, who appeared in handcuffs in the courtroom on May 8, voiced a similar message.
“I don't like it, but I'm doing it,” he said.
Bianchi’s case has faced multiple delays related to new developments, with victims repeatedly expressing their unhappiness with the slow pace of the DPD’s investigation and the resulting legal process.
Owing to the number of victims, the trial is expected to be long, too. The prosecution intends to use ten full days to present its case, and Bianchi’s defense team asked for three days for its own argument.
“Unfortunately, it is a case where there are a number of alleged victims,” said public defender Victoria Eidsmo. “This is a realistic estimate.”
Bianchi’s trial will begin on October 17 and is slated to run through November 7.
