Tag: sexual assault
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Colorado justices, 4-2, say defendant cannot be retried after judge rejected jury’s partial acquittal
If a jury clearly indicates that it has acquitted a defendant of certain charges while remaining deadlocked on others, judges must accept that partial acquittal verdict, a divided Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Monday. Justice William W. Hood III, in the June 8 majority opinion, acknowledged that judges ordinarily may not ask a deadlocked jury…
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Colorado legislators pass bill that sponsors say would strengthen sex crime victim protections
A Colorado bill that supporters say would strengthen victim protections and mandate law enforcement training on how trauma can affect survivors of sex crimes and domestic violence is on its way to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk for signing. Senate Bill 26-095 recently passed unanimously in the Senate and was mostly unopposed in the House, where…
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Boulder County prosecutor improperly used defendant’s silence as guilt, appeals court finds
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a Boulder County defendant’s sexual assault conviction last week after concluding that a trial judge should have intervened to stop the prosecutor from inappropriately using the man’s constitutional right to silence to suggest he was guilty. Prosecutors charged Charles G. Higdon III with two counts of sexual assault. Jurors acquitted him…
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Corrections officials may be sued for employee’s alleged abuse of detainee, federal judge rules
High-level corrections officials may be sued for their own alleged failures to prevent or respond to an employee’s sexual misconduct toward a detainee, a federal judge decided last month. Rajae Bouhamidi was incarcerated at the Denver Women’s Correctional Facility. In late 2022, corrections officer Justin Torres allegedly began to sexually harass her. Eventually, he ordered…
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Carlos Echeandia, owner of Carlos’ Bistro, headed to trial in sexual assault case
Accused of sexually assaulting a waitress trainee, the owner of the award-winning Colorado Springs restaurant Carlos’ Bistro is scheduled to go to trial in September after pleading not guilty in court Thursday. Carlos Echeandia, 62, allegedly sexually assaulted the woman inside the restaurant off 21st Street during her training after encouraging her to consume sample…
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‘Worse than the assault’: Colorado women say reporting rape deepened their trauma
Natalie, a single mother, dropped off her son at daycare, went to therapy and then returned home. She swallowed a fistful of pills, washing them down with a six-pack of beer. She was ready to end her life. “I just wanted the pain to go away,” she said. Brittney Smith, an artist living in Colorado…
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Why Colorado rape cases rarely result in an arrest and prosecution
In Colorado, most rape cases go nowhere. Over the past decade, for every 10 reports of rape, there is only one arrest Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual violence. Kiersten May remembered a fuzziness overtake her as Saturday night slid into Sunday morning at the remote Colorado mountain campsite on May 26, 2024. Her…
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Colorado Supreme Court to address child’s CCTV testimony
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will review the impact of a victim’s closed-circuit testimony on the prosecution of a juvenile defendant. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to hear an appeal. There is currently one vacancy, which will be filled next month. The justices also signaled they…
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Owner of award-winning restaurant Carlos’ Bistro accused of sexually assaulting waitress trainee
Carlos Echeandia, owner of longtime award-winning restaurant Carlos’ Bistro, is accused of sexual assaulting a waitress trainee. Echeandia, 62, allegedly made unwanted sexual advances toward the woman inside the restaurant off 21st Street during her training after encouraging her to consume sample alcoholic drinks on an empty stomach, according to court documents. A statement from…
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6 victims of Denver rapist sue parent company of Tinder, Hinge
Six women who were drugged and sexually assaulted after matching with a Denver man on online dating apps are now suing the apps’ parent company. The plaintiffs, all victims of Stephen Matthews, a Denver cardiologist found guilty in 2024 of sexually assaulting 11 women, allege that IAC and its subsidiary Match Group Inc., which owns…