Tag: sex assault
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Denver man arrested on sex assault charges after allegedly meeting with Pueblo teenager
A man was arrested by Pueblo County Sheriff’s deputies Monday for sex assault after meeting with a 16-year-old, according to a news release by the sheriff’s office. Around 3:30 a.m. Monday, deputies were patrolling Pueblo West when they found two vehicles with four total occupants parked after public hours at Liberty Point. The release stated…
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Air Force Academy cadet found guilty in sex assault court-martial
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save A jury of officers found Air Force Academy Cadet Viet Zaengle guilty of sexual assault on Wednesday after hearing from witnesses including the victim. A former girlfriend and fellow cadet accused Zaengle, now a junior, of sexual assault during June 2023 while off campus. His…
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El Paso County sex assault convictions overturned due to judge’s incorrect competency ruling
Colorado’s second-highest court last month vacated a man’s 15-year-old convictions for sexually assaulting a child, finding an El Paso County judge made a flawed determination that the defendant was competent to stand trial. In doing so, a three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals cautioned it may not be feasible to determine now whether Theodore William…
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Appeals judge suggests legislature clarify law providing compensation to exonerated defendants
A member of Colorado’s second-highest court suggested last month that lawmakers clarify whether defendants are only supposed to be eligible for compensation when they are innocent of the specific crime they were convicted of, even if there is evidence their conduct still amounted to a different crime. In 2013, the legislature passed the Exoneration Act,…
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Colorado justices signal intervention in 4 ongoing cases, including jury trials for evictions and Ouray rape prosecution
The Colorado Supreme Court recently signaled it may intervene in four ongoing cases in the trial courts on subjects that include a tenant’s right to a jury trial in eviction proceedings, whether defendants should remain incarcerated pending a sanity evaluation and a judge’s decision to sanction prosecutors for late-disclosed evidence. Although most of the Supreme…
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El Paso County man’s concerns of bias did not entitle him to forgo jury trial, appeals court rules
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled earlier this month that a defendant in El Paso County did not have the right to unilaterally choose a trial by judge, rather than trial by jury, amid concerns that jurors would not treat him fairly. Jonathan Yamar Best is serving 20 years to life in prison after a jury convicted…
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Divided Colorado appeals court upholds sex abuse convictions despite problematic testimony
By 2-1, Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday upheld a man’s child sex assault convictions despite an expert witness vouching for the credibility of the victims — which is typically improper. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals agreed Gustavo Lopez “opened the door” to the problematic evidence by suggesting his child victims had been…
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Appeals court reinstates Denver sex assault convictions in 12-year-old case
Following a rare appeal by the prosecution, Colorado’s second-highest court last month reinstated a defendant’s sexual assault convictions, reversing a judge’s order for a new trial based on the alleged ineffectiveness of defense counsel. Stephen J. Ahuero’s criminal case, which began in 2012, previously reached both the Court of Appeals and the state Supreme Court.…
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Colorado Springs ‘peeping Tom’ suspect waives right to preliminary hearing
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save The man allegedly behind a sexual assault and a spree of peeping tom incidents waived his right to a preliminary hearing Friday morning in court. Troy Deck, 54, was arrested in both Dec. and Jan. is facing a plethora of charges related to crimes occurring…