Author: Blair Miller
Homicides in the headlines: Uptick seen in some Colorado metro areas
DENVER – Colorado Springs has seen a major uptick in homicides so far in 2017 when compared to last year.
There have been 12 deaths so far this year in the city classified as homicides, but after three more people were found dead with gunshot wounds over the weekend, that number could rise to 15 if the coroner determines their deaths were homicides.
On Saturday, police arrested a man on first-degree murder charges in the shooting deaths of two of those three – a male and female that still have not been identified. But the determination of whether or not they were murdered will be made by the coroner.
Still, as of May 1, there were 12 homicides in the city so far this year, compared to just one as of May 1 last year. All have so far been deemed murders.
Last year, there were 22 homicides in Colorado Springs – 19 murders and three that were deemed justifiable homicides.
There were 29 homicides in 2015 (22 murders; four negligent/manslaughter; and three justifiable homicides). In 2014, there were 23 homicides (19 murders; two negligent/manslaughter; and two justifiable homicides). And in 2013, there were 31 homicides (25 murders; four negligent/manslaughter; and two justifiable homicides).
The 12 so far this year would put the city on pace to surpass the numbers for the past three years.
Denver has already seen 20 homicides so far, after experiencing a 10-year high of 56 in 2016 (not including officer-involved shootings).
There were a total of 50 in Denver in 2015, and the number has steadily risen after dropping to a 10-year low of 28 in 2010.
Aurora has seen 12 homicides so far in 2017 – compared to eight over the same time period last year.
In 2013, the city had seen 10 over the same period, and ended up having 23 homicides that year. In 2010, police had covered 12 homicides over the same time period, and also ended that year with 23.
Despite Denver’s 10-year high last year, the city still ranked only 19th in terms of the highest murder rates for the 30 largest cities in the U.S.
The Colorado Springs Police Department did not comment further on the city’s homicide numbers so far this year.
Reports: Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers not interviewed for FBI director job
DENVER – Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers won’t be the new director of the FBI after all, as multiple reports Monday say that he wasn’t among the eight people interviewed for the position over the weekend, and that interviews have wrapped.
Bloomberg and CNN report that the eight people interviewed for the job, left open after former director James Comey was fired by the president last week, will be the only candidates considered:
- Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas
- Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe
- Former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, a former FBI agent
- U.S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson
- Adam Lee, the FBI special agent heading the Richmond, Virginia office
- Former U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia
- Former Homeland Security adviser Fran Townsend
- Former Justice Department official Alice Fisher
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein conducted the interviews over the weekend, and President Donald Trump has hinted that he may name a new director by Friday, before he leaves on a trip to the Middle East.
Fox News reported last Friday that Suthers was among those on the short list to be interviewed for the position.
Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., nominated Suthers, who took over at the mayor’s office in 2015. He previously served as Colorado’s attorney general from 2005 to 2015, and served as the U.S. Attorney for Colorado from 2001 to 2005 after being appointed by President Bush and confirmed.
He began his career by serving as the deputy and chief deputy district attorney in Colorado Springs, and also headed the state’s department of corrections.
In a statement to Colorado Politics on Friday, a spokesperson for Suthers said he was “honored” to be listed as a possibility, but said it would be “premature” to comment further on the possibility.
But Gardner said Suthers would be an “excellent choice” to head the FBI, which was seconded by Rep. Mike Coffman, who added that Suthers was “independent and tough.”
According to Colorado Politics, Suthers also received endorsements from former Gov. Bill Owens, current Gov. John Hickenlooper and current Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman on Friday.
A spokesperson for Colorado Springs told Denver7 Monday that Suthers had no comment on the FBI position.
“Local residents can be assured that this is business as usual in the City of Colorado Springs,” the spokesperson said.
Lawmakers over the weekend called for Trump to nominate a nonpartisan figure to lead the agency amid much uproar over Comey’s firing, which Democrats and Republicans alike say appears to have been politically-motivated.
The FBI Agents Association, the union representing the ground-level FBI agents, endorsed Rogers over the weekend.
Senate rules for nominations such as the FBI director require nominees be confirmed only by 51 votes. The Republicans have 52 seats in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader announced Monday that Rosenstein will brief all 100 senators regarding Comey’s firing Thursday afternoon.
Rep. Mike Coffman says ‘cloud’ hanging over Trump administration, causing polarized Congress
DENVER – U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman says the appointment of a special prosecutor in the ongoing probe into Russia’s alleged ties with members of President Trump’s campaign and administration is the only way to cut through the “cloud” hanging over the White House and Congress.
Coffman sat down for a one-on-one interview with Denver7 Friday, moments after White House press secretary Sean Spicer wrapped up a contentious press briefing in which he was grilled over Trump’s statements earlier this week in which he hinted that he had fired former FBI Director James Comey because of the Russia probe. Continue reading
Colorado man who trafficked boys from California for sex sentenced to 50 years
AURORA, Colo. – A Colorado man convicted in March of bringing boys from California to Aurora so that he could have sex with them will spend 50 years in prison.
Sean Crumpler, 50, received the sentence Monday in 18th Judicial District Court in Colorado. He pleaded guilty in early March to three counts of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude, though he originally faces 11 felonies and a sentence enhancer when he was first arrested.
Crumpler, who is HIV-positive, was arrested in August 2015 after one of the boys he trafficked talked to a family member, who alerted authorities in California. The FBI got involved in the investigation, which led to Crumpler and his home in Aurora.
According to prosecutors, Crumpler between 10 and 15 other men and boys all lived together in the home. Crumpler would pay all the bills and buy food to feed everyone who lived there, and would also supply them with marijuana, alcohol and other items in exchange for sex.
The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office says two of the men involved in trafficking the boys had themselves been victims of Crumpler’s earlier in their lives. Both have already been sentenced to six years of probation after they pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
But one of the accomplices estimated that between 150 and 175 boys had been victimized over a two-year period, according to the DA’s Office.
The judge in the case said Crumpler deserved “very serious punishment” and agreed with Deputy District Attorney Cara Morlan, who asked for the 50-year sentence.
“The defendant has tried to make this a case about an alternative lifestyle,“ Morlan said. “This sentence serves as a notice to all offenders — wealthy or poor, gay or straight, male or female — it does not matter. If you target children, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Colorado Department of Human Services offered a reminder in the face of the sentencing that anybody with tips on child abuse or child trafficking can call tips in to 1-844-CO-4-KIDS. Those interested in learning more can tap here for additional information.
Draft rules for Denver’s social marijuana clubs released; patron waiver draws early concern
DENVER – Businesses looking to get one of Denver’s first-of-its-kind social marijuana consumption permits got their first look Thursday at the stringent draft of rules and regulations they will likely have to adhere to if they want one of the permits.
Denver voters approved Initiative 300 last November, which opens up the possibility for the existence of the clubs. The city, state and local organizations have been hammering out exactly what requirements the businesses have to follow since. Continue reading
Fetus left in Denver dumpster was possibly stillborn; no current charges for mom
DENVER – Complications relating to prematurity likely contributed to the death of a fetus found left in a dumpster on East 11th Avenue in March, the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner determined in the fetus’ autopsy.
But the medical examiners who performed the autopsy said they could not definitively determine the fetus’ manner of death because they had no placenta from the birth, nor could they exclude accidental or non-accidental asphyxiation in its death.
The fetus was a female that was estimated as having gestated for approximately 30-32 weeks, according to the medical examiner’s office. A typical human pregnancy involves a 40-week gestation period.
The fetus’ mother is “possibly developmentally delayed,” the medical examiner wrote, citing the police investigation, and was “reportedly unaware that she was pregnant.” She had a history of neurofibromatosis, according to the report.
The report says that the woman “passed a ‘sac’” into the toilet, then gave birth to the fetus shortly afterward in her bedroom.
The woman gave conflicting statements about if the fetus was stillborn, according to the report, initially saying it wiggled before becoming unresponsive, then said that the fetus was “born still” and “was not moving and made no noise.”
She washed the fetus, wrapped it in a towel, and cradled it for a while, according to the report. She then placed the fetus into a cardboard box, along with a stuffed animal and handwritten card, then put the box in the dumpster. A third party was with the woman at the time, according to the autopsy report.
The fetus went undiscovered until two nights later, when someone discovered the box.
It’s unclear if the mother will face charges in the case, as the medical examiner wasn’t able to determine if the fetus was born still or was alive for any time after its birth. The baby is referred to as a “fetus/infant” in the autopsy report.
The Denver District Attorney’s Office said it was reviewing the autopsy report, but has not filed charges against the mother at this time.
Colorado has a law called the Safe Haven law, which allows parents to hand over newborns to hospital or fire station workers with no questions asked.
State lawmakers have also tried multiple times in the past to make the death of a fetus a homicide, but the measures have failed each time.
Hickenlooper says special session might be coming to address roads, health care funding
DENVER – Colorado’s legislative session ended Wednesday, but the Legislature could be back at the Capitol this month after Gov. John Hickenlooper said Thursday he’s considering calling a special session to address what he sees as shortfalls in addressing transportation and health care budget concerns.
Both parties were able to reach some last-minute bipartisan agreements that brought some money in to address state roads and highways, health care concerns, education issues and construction defects. Continue reading
2 juveniles charged with first-degree murder in Fort Morgan double homicide
FORT MORGAN, Colo. – Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested on first-degree murder charges in the deaths of two people who had been reported missing and were found dead in April.
The Fort Morgan Sheriff’s Office says the two teenagers were arrested around 9 p.m. Wednesday in the 200 block of S. West Street.
Their identities are not being released because they are juveniles, the sheriff’s office said. Both are being held without bond pending their first advisement in Morgan County District Court Friday.
The two face charges in the alleged killings of Santos Macias and Destiny McMinn. The two were reported missing earlier this year.
Macis’ body was found on April 17 in the 19000 block of Highway 34, and McMinn’s body was found a week later in the 9000 block of Road Q in Fort Morgan.
The sheriff’s office says it is working with several local agencies, and that the teams have interviewed “dozens” of people in regards to the case and served several search warrants.
The sheriff’s office says the investigation is active and ongoing.
Drake Middle School teacher dies day after being reported for possible relationship with student
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. – A Drake Middle School teacher died Tuesday – one day after it was reported the teacher was having a possible relationship with a Jeffco Public Schools student.
The school district and Arvada Police Department, which is handling the case, are tight-lipped so far, but the teacher was identified as Gretchen Krohnfeldt by the Arvada Police Department.
Arvada police said a school resource officer was first made aware of the possible relationship, and was told at the time it was between a male student and a female staffer.
The police department says the alleged relationship started while the student was in middle school at Drake, though he is now in high school in Arvada.
Jeffco Public Schools spokeswoman Diana Wilson said Krohnfeldt was “immediately placed on administrative leave” on Monday, when a school staff member reported the possible relationship.
She did not specify the nature of the teacher’s death, nor if it was related to the possible relationship.
“We will continue to investigate this matter and coordinate our efforts with law enforcement. This investigation is in its infancy and the known facts are very limited,” Wilson said in a statement. “Our main focus is supporting our staff and students that have been deeply impacted by this tragedy.”
The police department says it and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office are working jointly on the investigation.
Boulder investigators to search out-of-state landfill for evidence in Ashley Mead murder
BOULDER, Colo. – The Boulder Police Department will search a landfill outside of Colorado for further evidence relating to the murder of Ashley Mead.
Mead went missing, along with her 1-year-old child, in February. Parts of her dismembered body were discovered in a dumpster in Okmulgee, Okla. days after they were reported missing.
Mead’s daughter was found safe with Mead’s boyfriend and the father of the child, Adam Densmore, who has since been charged with first-degree murder and tampering in Mead’s death.
He is accused of taking Mead and their young daughter from their home in Boulder and killing Mead sometime thereafter. He allegedly dismembered her body, put parts in suitcases and scattered them across the country as he made his way to Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
The Boulder Police Department said it could not discuss specifics of the planned out-of-state search because it has to protect the investigation’s integrity.
Investigators have been looking for more clues relating to Mead’s disappearance, including purple luggage that may contain some of her body parts. Anyone with information is asked to call Boulder police at 303-441-1974 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.