At around 3 a.m. on June 19, as we've reported, Boulder County Sheriff's Office deputies and other emergency responders were called to the 5000 block of Ridge Road not far from Nederland on a report of a stabbing. There, they found a group of friends who knew each other from New Vista High School, including Gaudin, who'd been stabbed to death. Crawford was subsequently arrested on suspicion of killing him.

According to the Boulder Daily Camera, Gaudin was a heavy-metal fan who often wore a trench coat and heavy boots. But his best friend tells the paper that behind this garb, Gaudin was "a really heartfelt, beautiful person with lots of love. He was one of the most accepting, loving, amazing people I ever met."

The manner in which he met his end remains in dispute, but an affidavit obtained by the Camera sheds some light on what happened. The report notes that an unknown number of the camping party took mushrooms and LSA, which is listed on Wikipedia under the term Ergine. The Wiki page notes that Ergine is thought to be "responsible for...psychedelic activity. However, this theory is debatable, as anecdotal reports suggest that the effects of synthetic LSA and iso-LSA are only slightly psychedelic."

Whatever the case, a reference to last week's incident has already been added to the page, under the heading "Known Fatalities" -- meaning Crawford could become the poster child for the dangers of LSA.

Additionally, Crawford and Gaudin are said to have consumed homemade whiskey they called moonshine.

Regarding Gaudin's death, one witness told investigators that he'd seen Crawford pull out a knife and thrust it into the teenager's chest. "You stabbed me," he quoted Gaudin as saying before he fell to the ground. However, Crawford told paramedics that he'd acted only after Gaudin had pulled out a machete and announced that he was going to "kill everyone."

The Camera doesn't mention if a machete was found. But a web search of Gaudin's name turns up a powerpoint presentation he and another person put together. (Here's a search link to a download, and this is an HTML version.) The item includes the following doctored image from the movie Eragon....

...and this final slide that mentions a sword: A bizarre coincidence? Probably. But it's in keeping with the strange nature of this tragic case. For instance, Crawford tried to run away when law enforcers arrived, but he was soon captured -- naked.

Crawford is expected to be formally charged in the death of Gaudin this week. In the meantime, here's a Daily Camera video featuring Crawford's pals reacting to his arrest.

Continue to see our previous coverage, including multiple photos.