Colorado

General counsel takes plea over golf outing credit-card charges

The general counsel of a Colorado transportation agency wound up in the rough over golf outings he was accused of charging on a company credit card around the time when he was scheduled for continuing legal education and professional meetings. Walter Mathews IV was fired by Roaring Fork Transportation Authority…

May 29, 2013 5:33 PM CDT

Accused shooter in Colo. movie theater massacre seeks insanity plea

Lawyers for James Holmes, who is accused of killing 12 people and injuring 70 others in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting spree last summer, is seeking court permission to change his not guilty plea. In a Tuesday filing (PDF), lawyers for Holmes say they intend to “tender a plea…

May 8, 2013 4:38 PM CDT

Pro se homeowner wins rare federal stay of sale in foreclosure case

Representing herself in federal court without the help of a lawyer, a Colorado homeowner has won a rare ruling staying the auction sale of her home after she lost a state-court mortgage foreclosure case. U.S. District Judge William Martinez on Monday issued an order temporarily staying the sale of Lisa…

May 7, 2013 4:08 PM CDT

Man accused of Facebook threats of ‘Columbine’ shooting at Illinois courthouse is arrested in Denver

A little over a month ago, Daniel McDade was facing only a driving-under-the-influence case in suburban Chicago. Now he is being held in Denver for extradition to Illinois, charged with two new felonies over posts the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office says he put on Facebook threatening a “Columbine”-style shooting at…

Apr 9, 2013 6:10 PM CDT

‘Don’t Shoot My Dog’ bill moves forward, would require more police training

Seeking to strike a balance between legitimate law enforcement and the desire to protect pets from unnecessary shootings, two Colorado lawmakers have introduced a bill that is moving forward in the state senate. The bipartisan so-called “Don’t Shoot My Dog” bill would require law enforcement agencies to train officers about…

Apr 4, 2013 3:29 PM CDT

Suspect in slaying of Colo. prisons chief released too early; court apologizes for clerical error

The deceased suspect believed to have slain the Colorado prisons superintendent last month before being mortally wounded in a shootout with Texas authorities was supposed to have been serving time for an attack on a jail guard. But because of a state district court clerical error, what should have been…

Apr 1, 2013 10:53 PM CDT

Prosecutors will seek death penalty against suspect in Colorado movie shootings

Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against James Holmes, the suspect in the shooting deaths of 12 people at a Colorado movie theater. Lawyers for Holmes had said their client is willing to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of life in prison without parole. But Arapahoe…

Apr 1, 2013 4:09 PM CDT

Probe of Colo. prisons chief murder focuses on other slayings, possible gang involvement

A continuing investigation into the killing of the Colorado prisons superintendent is focusing on at least two questions: Whether the deceased suspect in the case, Evan Spencer Ebel, could be responsible for any other murders. And whether 211 Crew, the white supremacist gang of which Ebel was said to be…

Mar 29, 2013 6:22 PM CDT

Accused Colorado movie shooter offers plea deal as prosecutors mull their options

The man accused of killing 12 people at a Colorado movie theater in July is willing to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of life in prison without parole, his lawyers say in a court document. Lawyers for James Holmes, 25, revealed the offer in a court scheduling document,…

Mar 28, 2013 6:55 PM CDT

Sheriff says ballistics link gun in Texas traffic shootout with slaying of Colo. prisons chief

Ballistics evidence shows that the same gun used in a Texas shootout that began with a routine traffic stop was also used in the earlier slaying of the Colorado prisons superintendent at his home, authorities announced Monday afternoon. The El Paso County, Colo., sheriff’s office said shell casings in both…

Mar 25, 2013 9:24 PM CDT

Did man killed in Texas gunbattle have anything to do with slaying of Colo. prisons chief?

Authorities in Colorado and Texas say they are investigating whether a suspect killed after a high-speed chase, crash and shootout in Texas on Thursday has any connection to the slaying of the Colorado prisons superintendent at home earlier this week. The suspect, Evan Spencer Ebel, 28, was driving a black…

Mar 22, 2013 3:43 PM CDT

Person of interest in lawyer’s slaying is arrested

A person of interest being sought by authorities in the apparent slaying of a Colorado family law attorney has been arrested in Idaho. Warren Dale Watson was arrested Friday in Caldwell on an unrelated prior warrant, KUSA reports. The body of Claudia Miller, 66, was found in her law office…

Mar 8, 2013 11:42 PM CST

Slain lawyer’s body found by office cleaning crew

Updated: Police in Lakewood, Colo., say they have located the vehicle belonging to a family law attorney who was found dead in her office on Tuesday night by a cleaning crew. The 2012 Honda Accord, which police said was apparently stolen from the parking lot at Claudia Miller’s law office…

Mar 7, 2013 12:26 PM CST

Now is the time to go to law school, at least in this state, dean says

Updated: While critics continue to disparage the state of legal education, at least some of its top figures continue to balance calls for change with assurances to prospective students of law school’s current value. And one law dean is citing the regional hiring preferences of law firms and positive local…

Feb 7, 2013 3:54 PM CST

Imaginary weapon gets 7-year-old a real school suspension

Concerned about student violence in the wake of multiple classroom shootings, many school districts have adopted zero-tolerance policies in recent years under which children have been disciplined for displaying so-called weapons that obviously weren’t likely to inflict injury. But the concept is being extended even further, as a recent incident…

Feb 6, 2013 9:31 PM CST