A series of crimes allegedly committed by a man and his affiliates share similarities in motive: a desire to punish “snitches” and thieves through brutal beatings, some that resulted in failed murder attempts, according to affidavits filed by Colorado Springs police.

Shemor Mitchell, 35, was arrested June 6 and is facing 17 charges in five felony cases. He is being held at the El Paso County jail on two bonds totaling $1.5 million. Other members of the alleged circle have been arrested and face criminal charges for felony level cases, as well.

The crimes allegedly committed by Mitchell and the group have harmed seven people, some of whom claim to have been beaten, tortured and almost killed, according to the arrest affidavits obtained by The Gazette.

Mitchell is facing a possible maximum of 145 years and a minimum of 49 in prison if he is found guilty on all charges. An “extraordinary risk” enhancement, meaning the alleged crimes constitute a “substantial risk” of harm to society, could bring a possible maximum of 169 years.

The Gazette reached out to Mitchell’s attorney, who declined comment.

Colorado Springs police declined to say if the group is considered a gang.

Part of the Police Department’s definition of a gang is a group composed of three or more people who “collectively identify” themselves to create fear or intimidate others, and their purpose, in part, is to engage in criminal or delinquent activity.

Mitchell’s booking history with the jail dates back to 2012 and paints a history of traffic violations and misdemeanors that turned violent starting in 2021.

Another man, Brandon Drakeford, 33, was arrested for his alleged involvement with Mitchell in a crime for which he faces two charges of sexual assault and attempted first-degree murder.

Mitchell and Drakeford have a close relationship, according to affidavits. The police filings state that both are known for believing they are possessed by demons. One of the alleged victims stated Mitchell likes “seeing people in pain.”

A day after Mitchell’s June 6 arrest, a male and female couple in their 20s were kidnapped and assaulted. A police investigation led to the arrest of two other suspects believed to be associated with Mitchell, with the possible motive being that the attackers suspected the couple had snitched on Mitchell.

Some members of the group were known residents at Arbor Pointe apartments at 2503 Hancock Expressway in southeast Colorado Springs, where most of the alleged crimes happened.

Arbor Pointe management did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Gazette.

The affidavits obtained by The Gazette depict a timeline of alleged brutal assaults by Mitchell and his associates:

Jan. 26 — Attempted second-degree murder at “PopCycle” Bridge. While not the first crime Mitchell is being accused of, it’s the first reported time he was accused of attempted murder.

Mitchell and three others were arrested after a 22-year-old man was beaten, cut with a box-cutter, hit with a pipe, set on fire, and then forced off the bridge and left for dead. The man survived and later identified four men arrested as the perpetrators.

Affidavits state the attempted murder was over $10 and a computer tablet the man had supposedly stolen.

March 12 — Second-degree assault. Police believe Mitchell, along with another member of the group, were involved in an assault of a man and a woman at the their residence in Arbor Pointe.

The couple stated to police they had let the suspects stay in their apartment for several weeks but had fled the apartment March 12 after Mitchell had choked the man until he passed out. Once he woke up, Mitchell and a few others beat him, causing him to lose consciousness again, the man said.

The woman told police that she was held at gunpoint, “pistol-whipped” and beaten by Melissa Martinez, 33, Mitchell’s girlfriend and a member of the group, according to the affidavit.

May 23 — Sexual assault and attempted first-degree murder. Mitchell and Drakeford are suspected of sexually assaulting a homeless man and attempting to kill him in another apartment at Arbor Pointe, according to police investigators and the affidavits. Melissa Martinez also was allegedly present.

The man, who has mental disorders and is considered an at-risk adult by social services agency The Resource Exchange, told police that he had been beaten, sexually assaulted with a broomstick, and burned at the genitals with a torch lighter.

The man said the suspects then took him for a walk “on the trails” to be killed. After being hit on the head by a rock, records state surveillance camera footage shows the man being escorted by an unidentified male to the entrance of a nearby store. He left as the assaulted man walked inside and contacted a security guard.

The man was taken to UCHealth Memorial Central Hospital, with severe abdominal, chest and rectal pain and was placed in emergency trauma surgery.

After her arrest, Martinez told police there were recordings of the homeless man’s assault. She said he was screaming in agony and was forced to apologize for ruining her and Mitchell’s life, the affidavit states.

She said the man had snitched on Mitchell for something he did last year, forcing Mitchell to miss out on parts of her pregnancy with their child. Mitchell’s booking history shows that he was in jail for two separate criminal offenses last year.

Martinez stated the man had also reported Drakeford to the police, noting these were the two motives for the crime.

Drakeford was taken into custody July 3 after being found in his van, police stated. During an interview with officers, he denied any involvement in the assault and said someone was trying to set him up.

A detective working the case requested a higher bond for Drakeford and Mitchell, saying there is an “extreme danger” of retaliation to the man and witnesses. The bond for Drakeford is set at $1 million.

June 7 — Double kidnapping and assault. A day after Mitchell was identified as a suspect in the January PopCycle Bridge crime, he became a wanted fugitive until his arrest June 6.

The next day — Martinez and four other people, Joshua Pleasant, Linda Guest, Joseary Arizmendi and Kathy Arbuckle — allegedly kidnapped and assaulted another man and woman at Arbor Pointe because they believed the couple had reported Mitchell to the police.

A detective testified in court that Arizmendi released the man to play a game of “manhunt” and allegedly told him he got a one-hour headstart to try to escape but that she would kill him if she caught him.

Other allegations

In addition to the sexual assault and attempted murder charges, Mitchell was arrested for allegedly stalking his ex-wife and breaking into her home last year, according to his affidavits.

The ex-wife says she found Mitchell inside her closet and on at least three other occasions found him in her house. She filed a restraining order against Mitchell, but she said he returned a few months later, in early October. The woman told police she saw him doing laundry after coming back from taking her daughters to school.

Mitchell was arrested and jailed that day but was released a little over a month later, on Nov. 25.

Mitchell’s next court date for all five of his cases is Aug. 26.