Tag: courts
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Letecia Stauch murder conviction in stepson Gannon’s death overturned by Colorado appeals court
An El Paso County woman convicted of killing her stepson in 2020, shoving his body in a suitcase, then dumping it in Florida, is getting a new trial. The Colorado Court of Appeals published a 52-page ruling on Thursday, stating that the conviction of Letecia Stauch, 42, is reversed because the trial court committed “structural…
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Final defendant in cross-burning ‘hoax’ given lengthy sentence for hate crime
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DENVER — The final defendant involved in the cross-burning “hoax” that rocked the Colorado Springs community during the 2023 mayoral runoff election was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison on Wednesday. Derrick Bernard, 36, and two others were found guilty of burning a cross and writing a racial expletive on one of Colorado…
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Colorado leaders weigh next steps after Supreme Court rejects state ban on ‘conversion therapy’
Colorado leaders said they are weighing next steps after the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the state’s ban on “conversion therapy” for children, as critics and supporters cheered or lambasted the ruling. The court’s near-unanimous decision called the Colorado law, passed in 2019, an “egregious assault” on the First Amendment. It remains to be…
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Democratic bill would let recipients of ‘conversion therapy’ sue Colorado providers with no statute of limitations
Colorado lawmakers have advanced a proposal that would allow people who underwent conversion therapy to sue licensed providers for damages, moving the measure forward on a party-line vote in the House Judiciary Committee. House Bill 1322, proposed by Democratic Reps. Alex Valdez of Denver and Karen McCormick of Hygiene will move to a full-floor debate…
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Man who previously confessed to crashing into jogger in Colorado Springs pleads not guilty
A man who told police that he “woke up and smoked weed and just felt like killing someone” and then allegedly injured a 74-year-old jogger with his SUV in Colorado Springs pleaded not guilty Wednesday to attempted murder. “Thank you,” Christian Ortega said to 4th Judicial District Judge Eric Bentley after entering his plea. They…
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Man confesses to killing another during brawl at Colorado Springs home
A Colorado Springs man accepted a plea deal that will have him serve 20-30 years in prison for beating and killing 55-year-old Omar Olmedo two years ago. Marquise Hutt, 39, confessed to an El Paso County courtroom Friday of killing Olmedo during a fist fight in the early hours of Feb. 29, 2024. Originally charged…
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Alleged ICE impersonator pleads not guilty by reason of insanity
A man involved in an hours-long standoff with law enforcement at a Colorado Springs home in August pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to most of his charges Tuesday. Antonio Mellon, 23, is accused of impersonating an immigration agent at an on-demand “ghost” delivery convenience store and then pointing a gun at law enforcement…
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Man pleads guilty to murdering Colorado Springs man in ‘heat of passion’
A Colorado Springs man will face 20 to 32 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Matthew Helberg, 39, on Tuesday in an El Paso County courtroom. Howard Heyliger, 31, recounted to Judge Michael McHenry shooting Helberg on June 26 near East Platte Avenue and North Cedar Street after he…
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Brothers sentenced to decades in prison for Denver Aquarium drive-by shooting
Two brothers were each sentenced to multiple decades in prison Friday for a drive-by shooting that killed a teenager outside the Denver Aquarium in 2024. Antonio Vasquez and Jason Trujillo were sentenced to 40 and 20 years in prison, respectively, after each pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the Feb. 14, 2024 shooting that killed…
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Plea hearing delayed again for Colorado State Patrol trooper facing child sexual exploitation charges
Accused of possessing sexual assault videos of minors, now terminated Colorado State Patrol Trooper Luke Zellman took a deep breath before approaching the podium inside an El Paso County courthouse. Zellman, 42, appeared in court Thursday to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty to his charges of sexual exploitation of a child, but…