Category: Cases

GOLDEN, Colo. (April 14, 2022) – People with active warrants for non-violent, low-level misdemeanor and traffic charges in Gilpin or Jefferson counties will once again have an opportunity to resolve their case without arrest as Colorado’s First Judicial District hosts its second Fresh Start event at the Jefferson County Probation Remington Building on Saturday, Apr. 30^th, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

“All of our government and community stakeholders are excited to offer this opportunity again after the tremendous success that we had at last year’s first-ever Fresh Start event,” said First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King.

At the debut event in August 2021, a total of 50 individuals – including some who traveled from out-of-state – cleared their warrant either by setting a new court date, re-engaging in probation or resolving their case entirely. One couple drove all night from Idaho and slept in a parking lot to take care of a warrant from a 2014 case, while another participant flew in from Maryland to resolve their warrant as they had turned their life around and were starting a new job with a Fortune 500 tech company.

“It truly was a heart-warming experience,” said Jennifer Kilpatrick, Director of Conviction Integrity & Equity for the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office. “The people we were able to help get back on track all wanted to accept accountability for past mistakes so they could move forward with their lives without the fear of being arrested and having their entire life disrupted.”

By addressing those cases at last year’s event, the collaborative effort is estimated to have saved taxpayers more than $37,000 and sheriff’s deputies over 37 hours that would have been spent if they had arrested these 50 individuals and booked them in jail.

The collaboration resolves minor cases that traditionally involve arrests and court appearances that can negatively impact defendants who want to accept accountability. Individuals on probation who have fallen out of compliance can also re-engage and get back on track to completing their sentence.

Public defenders will again be available to review eligibility and provide legal consultation to qualifying defendants at no cost. Several community partners – including the Community Connections Center (C3), Jefferson County Public Health, Jefferson Center for Mental Health, Front Range Clinic, Intervention, Inc., Behavioral Treatment Services, Stout Street Clinic, Kaizen Food Rescue and Benefits in Action – will also be on-site to provide information and resources for individual needs such as housing and vaccinations.

Fresh Start is a collaborative effort between First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King, the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office, First Judicial District Court, Jefferson County Court, First Judicial District Probation Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Justice Services and C3.

People who have been charged or convicted of an offense under the Victim Rights Act – such as assault, child abuse, unlawful sexual contact or domestic violence – and those with second or subsequent cases involving driving under the influence or driving while ability impaired are not eligible for the program.

Individuals who attend will appear before a deputy district attorney who may offer those eligible a plea agreement. The underlying warrant will be cleared by a judge who may resolve the case or set a new court appearance date.  

GOLDEN, Colo. (Apr. 12, 2022) – Alex Christopher Ewing (DOB: 8-14-1960) was sentenced on Tuesday by the First Judicial District Court to life in prison for the 1984 murder of 50-year-old Patricia Smith of Lakewood. On Apr.7, 2022, Ewing was convicted by a Jefferson County jury of murder in the first degree and two counts of first degree – felony murder.  

 “The defendant is a danger to society, and there are no words to adequately convey the heinousness and depravity of his actions,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Katharine Decker as she asked the court to impose the maximum sentence possible and without credit for time served. “He deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.” 

Smith’s children addressed the court and described what it felt like waiting nearly four decades to see justice for their mother. Family described a beloved mother, grandmother, neighbor, friend, and vibrant member of the community. “We can now go on to celebrate my mother’s beautiful life the way she would have wanted us to,” said Chery Lettin, Smith’s daughter.

Ewing’s sentence will be served consecutively to the three life sentences imposed in Arapahoe County for the murders of Bruce and Debra Bennett and their 7-year-old daughter, Melissa.

On Jan. 10, 1984, Patricia Smith was found beaten to death and sexually assaulted in her home in Lakewood. For over thirty years this case remained unsolved, and it wasn’t until Jul. 2018, when investigators received information from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding a DNA match to the crime scene. The DNA match, from semen left on and around the body of Patricia Smith, identified Ewing, who at the time was an inmate in the custody of the Nevada Department of Corrections.

“We wouldn’t be here today without the dedication of law enforcement, and persistence of the scientists at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation throughout the decades,” said District Attorney Alexis King. “With the sentence that this court imposed, it is the People’s hope that today brings some sense of justice to Patricia Smith’s family and loved ones.” 

GOLDEN, Colo. (Apr. 11, 2022) – Isiah Alexender Bennett was sentenced on Friday by the First Judicial District Court to 30 years in prison for the murder of 26-year-old Raymond Jutting in Arvada (pictured). On Jan. 31, 2022, Bennett pled guilty to Second Degree Murder, and as a result of his plea, faced 20-35 years in the Department of Corrections.

On Jun. 27, 2020, Jutting arrived at 7846 Marshall Street in Arvada where he engaged in a verbal argument with Bennett, who was his cousin. Bennett remained in the house and Jutting was outside in the yard where the verbal altercation escalated through an open window. Bennett, armed with a gun, fired multiple shots at Jutting, killing him. Bennett claims he shot Jutting in self-defense.

“This was an execution, not self-defense,” said Deputy District Attorney Megan Bibliowicz. “Mr. Jutting did not have a weapon on him, he had a cast on his arm, and he was nowhere near Mr. Bennett when Mr. Bennett began shooting.  With nine total shots to Mr. Jutting’s body, and all but one to his back, this was not self-defense, this was purposeful.”

Family members of Jutting described a loving husband, father, brother, and son who will be missed very much.

GOLDEN, Colo. (Apr. 7, 2022) – Miguel Carrera-Barojas (DOB: 5-8-1982) was sentenced on Thursday by the First Judicial District Court to 8 years in the Department of Corrections as the driver in the crash that caused the death of 22-year-old Brooks O’Donnell. On Mar. 2, 2022, Carrera-Barojas pled guilty to Vehicular Homicide – DUI.

“This tragedy should never have happened,” said Deputy District Attorney Kathryn Raynes. “On July 19, 2021, this defendant made the decision to drink and drive and to put this community at risk, and that decision cost a 22-year-old man his life. For Brooks O’Donnell, who paid the ultimate price, and for those who loved him and will forever miss him, we know that nothing can ever make them whole again. We hope though, that the Judge’s sentence provides some sense of justice to the community, and to everyone who knew Brooks.”

On Jul. 19, 2021, at about 2:15am, investigation by the Lakewood Police Department showed that Carrera-Barojas, driving a 2013 Toyota Tacoma, was driving while under the influence of alcohol, on the wrong side of Morrison Road. Driving westbound in the eastbound lane, Carrera-Barojas struck O’Donnell’s Nissan Versa, causing him to roll several times, cross over the barbed-wired fence, and then roll approximately 30 feet down the hill. O’Donnell was pronounced deceased on scene.

GUILTY VERDICT IN ALEX EWING TRIAL
GOLDEN, Colo. (Apr. 7, 2022) – A Jefferson County jury found Alex Christopher Ewing (DOB: 8-14-1960) guilty for the murder of Patricia Smith in 1984.

“We truly appreciate the jury’s service in this difficult case, and our thoughts are with the family of Patricia Smith as they finally see justice for her horrific murder over three decades ago. Today’s verdict is the result of significant efforts and dedication by law enforcement, scientists, the witnesses who testified, and our staff, without whom this outcome would not have been possible.”

Sentencing is set for Apr. 12, 2022, at 10am.

The sentence for Frank Vigil, Jr., (DOB: 02-28-1981) was reduced Thursday by the First Judicial District Court, making the defendant parole eligible after 40 years minus earned time. In 1998, Vigil was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the assault and murder of 14-year-old Brandaline Rose DuVall.

“We believe the court’s sentence does not reflect the horrific and unspeakable nature of the assault, torture, and kidnapping 14-year-old Brandi DuVall suffered before she was brutally murdered,” said First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King. “This was not the outcome that we or those who loved her requested.”

Manuel Garcia (DOB: 7-29-2001) and Autumn Lucero (DOB: 5-27-1998) were sentenced on Tuesday by the First Judicial District Court for their involvement in the crime spree that ran through three cities over the course of a day and ended with the murder of 56-year-old Rene Perez of Lakewood.

Garcia pled guilty to Second Degree Murder, Attempt to Commit Assault in the First Degree, and Robbery, and received 41 years in prison. Lucero pled guilty to Illegal Discharge of a Firearm, Accessory to Crime and Assault in the Second Degree and received 12 years in prison. Garcia and Lucero were the final two defendants to be sentenced in the case.

On Jan. 5, 2022, Alec Destree (DOB: 12-25-98) was sentenced to life in prison after a Jefferson County jury found him guilty at trial of First Degree Murder, Second Degree Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Robbery, and three counts of Aggravated Robbery. On Jan. 27, 2022, Dominic Maestas (DOB: 6-18-2000) was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his involvement after he pled guilty to Murder in the Second Degree and Aggravated Robbery. Beginning just after noon on Oct. 14, 2019, Garcia, Lucero and Maestas committed an armed robbery of a group of high-school students who were on their lunch break from Arvada High School. Later that night, all four defendants drove to a home in Littleton where Garcia fired multiple shots into the windows and doors of a family of four.

Following that shooting, the same individuals drove around looking for a vehicle to steal or a person to rob. Perez, who worked as a janitor, was returning home from work just after midnight, and as he parked his car and opened the door, he was confronted and shot by Destree. All defendants fled the scene and Perez later died from his injuries.

“You have an innocent family who was terrorized in their own home, innocent children who were terrorized while on their lunch break from school, and an innocent man who paid the ultimate price for not giving up his car keys – all for nothing,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Brenna Zortman. “Not one person – not even one – did anything to put themselves in the path that these defendants carved that day. These were innocent, random victims whose lives were forever changed. I hope these final sentences provide a sense of justice to everyone who was impacted by this tragedy.”

Caleb Hasson Brewer (DOB: 1-25-2003) was sentenced on Tuesday by the First Judicial District Court to 35 years in prison for the murder of 65-year-old Robert Steige of Lakewood. On Jan. 25, Brewer – who was 17 at the time of the incident – pled guilty to Second Degree Murder after parties reached an agreement to a 35-year prison sentence.

The Steige family addressed the court at sentencing and described a devoted caretaker and beloved husband, uncle and friend. The family stated that Robert was very forgiving and they believe that the plea agreement is what he would have wanted.

On March 9, 2020, upon returning from a trip to the grocery store, Steige was sitting inside his vehicle in the driveway of his residence when he was confronted by Brewer. Brewer later told a witness that he approached Steige’s vehicle in an attempt to steal the car and when Steige wouldn’t give up the keys, he shot him twice.

An investigation by the Lakewood Police Department quickly led to the identification of Brewer. On March 12, 2020, Brewer was taken into custody after he was observed in a stolen Jeep and crashed after a police pursuit in Denver.

“On the night of March 9, 2020, Caleb Brewer left his home armed with a firearm, intending to commit a crime,” said Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney Tariq Sheikh.  “He then senselessly and brutally murdered Robert Steige for not giving Mr. Brewer his car keys. Our hearts are with the family of Mr. Steige, and we are thankful for the quality investigation conducted by the Lakewood Police Department.”

Ronn Gregory Wyman (DOB: 01-07-1959) was sentenced by the First Judicial District Court on Wednesday to an indeterminate sentence of 24-years-to-life in prison for sexual assault on a child in 2019.

“This case was just another in a long line of sexual offenses that the defendant has committed against vulnerable, young children,” said Senior Deputy DA Donna Billek from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office. “With his background, this sentence was appropriate as the defendant has repeatedly made it clear that he can’t be safely managed in our community.”

On January 12, 2020, officers from the Arvada Police Department were dispatched to a thrift store in response to reports of an older male groping a child. The man – later identified as Wyman – tried to leave but was confronted by the victim’s mother who stood in front of his car in the parking lot and made him wait for law enforcement to arrive.

Wyman has an extensive record of sexual offenses in California dating back to 1987 when he received three years of probation for indecent exposure in front of children. A year later, he was sentenced to a year in jail for attempted kidnapping of a child. Wyman again faced kidnapping and indecent exposure charges involving child victims in 1989 before being sentenced to 16 months in prison for two counts of indecent exposure in 1991.

In 1993, a Denver jury found Wyman guilty of second-degree murder and he was sentenced to 28 years in prison to be followed by five years of probation. After serving 20 years, he was released early into the community in 2015 but returned two more times due to violating parole requirements. Wyman eventually completed his sentence and was released in November 2018.

Under Colorado law, specific egregious sexual offenses come with an indeterminate sentence that requires a minimum number of years in prison. After serving the minimum, offenders can then be released into the community after demonstrating successful progress in sex offender treatment and a decreased risk to re-offend. Because of Wyman’s prior offenses against children, that minimum number of years is tripled.