A man who pleaded guilty to killing his former girlfriend and her two young children and sexually assaulting her teenage daughter in Cañon City, was sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison without parole at the Fremont County courthouse Monday.

Jaacob Van Winkle, 31, pleaded guilty to all 36 charges against him for the triple slaying and rape, including three counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual assault. A judge accepted the guilty plea June 30 to avoid the death penalty.

Mandy Folsom, 35, her 9-year-old daughter Marissa and 5-year-old son Mason were found stabbed to death March 9 after Folsom’s 16-year-old daughter ran to a neighbor’s house for help, records show.

Folsom’s relatives were visibly shaken as they watched an emotional video compilation of the victims during the sentencing hearing, according to Gazette news partner KKTV. Van Winkle was convicted in 2004 of child molestation and other sex crimes involving children in Indiana and failed to register as a sex offender after moving to Cañon City.

Jaacob Van Winkle

Adriane Matkovich