Author: Christopher Osher
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Class-action suit filed against parental evaluator who said he disbelieves 90% of domestic violence allegations
A parental evaluator already under fire for saying he disbelieves 90% of the domestic violence allegations he hears in custody cases now faces new legal woes with the filing of a lawsuit that alleges his evaluations are extremely biased and favor abusive parents. Colorado Watch logo-new (copy) The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Boulder County District…
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4 recent murders: Colorado’s troubled family court system ignores children in peril
For nearly seven months Andrea Berry had been trying to get police to take seriously her fears that her ex-husband was sexually abusing their 3-year-old daughter, Sophia, and using her in child pornography, but she was running out of options. Colorado Watch logo A police commander in the town of Elizabeth, where the father lived,…
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Arapahoe County child protective worker charged in retribution plot ordered to pay $3 million to councilwoman who filed lawsuit
Robin Niceta, the former child protective services case worker who faces criminal charges that she falsely accused Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky of sexually abusing her 2-year-old son, did not respond to a lawsuit filed against her and now owes Jurinsky $3 million in damages, a judge has ruled. “The judge really realized the severity…
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Prosecutor struggled with Anderson Aldrich bomb threat case that was dismissed
Four days before Anderson Aldrich was scheduled to go to trial last year on charges of threatening to set off a bomb and become the “next mass killer,” a prosecutor handling the case could not provide details to the presiding judge over why a key witness might not be available to testify, according to court…
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Former Colorado child protective worker Robin Niceta pleads not guilty in false sex abuse report case
A former Arapahoe County child protective services worker on Monday pleaded not guilty of criminal charges alleging that she filed a false child sex abuse report against a high-profile critic of her girlfriend, who was then the Aurora police chief. Robin Niceta’s trial is to begin May 9. Robin Niceta Law enforcement arrested Niceta in…
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Federal judge declines to toss wrongful prosecution lawsuit filed by developer Ray Marshall; $402 million in damages sought
A federal judge declined to toss out a developer’s wrongful prosecution lawsuit claiming a former investigator for the district attorney’s office in El Paso County fabricated evidence and withheld evidence from his defense lawyers. In a Nov. 14 ruling, U.S. District Judge Nina Wang ruled that Ray Marshall’s lawsuit can proceed against Linda Dix, the…
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Parolee with history of violent assault now charged with murder of Colorado Springs woman
In a bid that helped him win his release from prison, Gregory Whittemore pledged in May 2020 that sex offender treatment he’d received while incarcerated had helped him put aside the demons that prompted him to rape a worker at a Colorado Springs massage parlor and nearly kill her when he bashed her head against…
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Dean Williams resigns as executive director of Colorado’s Department of Corrections
Dean Williams, who pushed to reform Colorado’s prisons as executive director of the state’s Department of Corrections, announced in an email to employees that he is resigning from his position. “I have made the difficult decision to transition out of my role as Executive Director as of December 2, 2022,” Williams said in the email.…
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Colorado custody evaluator suspended amid criticism of evaluation industry
The Colorado State Court Administrator’s Office has suspended a high-profile custody evaluator from continuing to receive court appointments following controversy over his parenting recommendations amid recent media scrutiny of the parenting evaluation industry. Jaime Watman, an official in the State Court Administrator’s Office, in a statement confirmed last week’s suspension of Mark Kilmer from ongoing…
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The Gazette hires award-winning journalist Jenny Deam for investigative reporting team
Award-winning journalist Jenny Deam has joined the growing team of The Gazette as an investigative reporter. Deam will team up with David Migoya and Christopher Osher on the Colorado Watch investigative team, focusing on investigative projects and accountability journalism. Deam comes to The Gazette from ProPublica, where she worked as a national investigative health care…